Tropical Treachery
by boswifedeb
Summary: When a family member is accused of murder, Matt and CJ head to Florida to find out the truth – no matter what. Before it's over more than one life hangs in the balance. **Immediately follows "Fallen Hero"**Rated T. Not all are my characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Tropical Treachery**

****This story immediately follows "Fallen Hero"****

"**There is no client as scary as an innocent man."**

**J. Michael Haller, Criminal Defense Attorney, Los Angeles, 1962.**

**CHAPTER 1**

"Well that's great news, Uncle Roy. Congratulations!" Matt had just stepped off of the elevator at the penthouse office of Houston Investigations.

"They told me when we first won the bid that they were planning on opening more stores. This one is the first of six more that they have planned for the next twelve months. And they also told me yesterday that there may well be more than that." Roy Houston was proud of the deal that he had worked so hard to get for Houston Investigations. It had originally started out as installing security systems for twenty stores that belonged to the chain. Roy had been working on the jobs along with his son Will and Matt's best friend Vince Novelli – a former LAPD detective.

"Sounds like you're really hitting the jackpot. I know how hard you worked to set up this deal and I'm glad to see it paying off for you. What do Will and Vince think about it?"

"They're happy, too." Roy walked out on the balcony of the hotel where he and the two other men were staying in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. It overlooked the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. "But Vince is really getting homesick, Matt. He's never been away from them for this long."

Vince Novelli was the father of four sons and ran an Italian restaurant in Hawaii with his mother Rosa and his wife Isabella. Family meant everything to him and he had jumped at the opportunity to help with the security systems. It would be a big help to the family since Vince was being paid $10,000 per store. The original deal had been for twenty stores and now he was looking at even more money. But Vince cared more about his family than money.

"Tell you what: I've been thinking about that. Do you think he would feel better if I was able to fly the family in for Thanksgiving? We could all meet at the ranch in Houston."

"That's a great idea."

"I can't guarantee it yet – I have no idea if the Novelli's will be able to leave the restaurant. But if they can't then he can take the jet to Hawaii."

"You're a pretty good fella to work for, Matt. I think it would do him a world of good. Let me know what you find out."

"I'll do it. Just keep it under your hat right now. Talk to you later." Matt hung up and went to the bar to pour himself some coffee.

CJ walked out of her office. "How did your appointment go?"

Matt rolled his eyes. "It went." He hated going to the doctor for anything even though Carol LeMaster was his doctor. She and CJ were best friends and had been sorority sisters in college.

"So what did she say?" She knew how much Matt hated going to any doctor.

"Well, for starters I'm very much alive. I have a pulse, and…" He saw the look on his wife's face. "It was fine. Think I may need a blood transfusion after all her samples that she took – or at least a nice thick steak." Matt took a swallow of coffee. "Happy now?"

"Yes. I know you hate going but it is Carol after all…she's not nearly as bad as some of them." She gave her husband a peck on the cheek and put an arm around his waist as they walked out onto the patio together. "And it was just a physical – nothing major."

"Humph. Weakening a man by taking half his darn blood – and you call it nothing major." He gave her a disgruntled look.

"Quit being such a baby." She kissed him again and they stood looking out over the skyline of Los Angeles.

Matt pulled her closer and just as their lips touched his phone rang again. "Damn!" He pulled the offensive device out of his shirt pocket. "Guess Uncle Roy forgot to tell me something." He answered the call. "What did you forget?" The grin on his face quickly disappeared.

"Matt, they just arrested Will. He's been accused of murder."

**CHAPTER 2**

As he piloted the jet into the air, Matt thought back on the few details that Uncle Roy had been able to give him about the arrest of his cousin Will. They had been in Ft. Lauderdale for two days getting ready to install the security system for the new store there but were having to wait for some work to be done on the store before they could get in to do their part. Will had met a lady at a night club and had gone home with her. Matt was a little surprised: Will didn't ordinarily do that. Back in his younger days, Matt had a reputation of having a different woman every week, sometimes more than that in one week, but not Will.

Matt and Will had served together in the Army for a couple of years before Will was captured and held prisoner by some extremists in Afghanistan. After a long search and a dangerous mission, Matt had found his cousin and freed him from his captors. He was worried about what being held in jail in Florida would do to the man. He had needed a lot of therapy when he got back to the states to help him get past his incarceration by the terrorists.

CJ watched her husband and was pretty sure of what was going through his mind. Matt and Will had depended on each other during their time in the service and were just as close as brothers. She, like Matt, knew that Will would never have committed the murder that he was being accused of. "Are you okay, hon?"

Houston nodded. "Yeah…just worried about Will."

"We'll get it straightened out. I put in a call to a lawyer that I graduated with at Harvard. He's good, Matt."

He reached across and took her hand. "Guess it's a good thing that Sheila came to work for us when she did." Their nanny, Sheila Wentworth, had been a nurse who had taken care of Matt on several occasions at the hospital as well as being his private nurse at the ranch after he had been injured in a bomb blast. Her husband had returned home from serving with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to be killed by a firebomb at their home. Matt had tracked down the men responsible and they were currently in jail awaiting trial. That had been a couple of weeks earlier. After Sheila was laid off by the hospital, Matt had immediately asked her to be their nanny.

The six hour flight passed too slowly for Matt who was seriously worried about his cousin. They were met at the airport by Vince Novelli who was driving the van that belonged to Houston Investigations and was being used by the men for their installation jobs. The former LAPD detective gave CJ a hug as she stepped off of the jet and helped Matt with the luggage.

The worry Matt felt was shown on his face. Vince had seen the man upset before, but it was obvious to anyone who saw him this time, which was unusual for Houston. He had always teased the private investigator about his poker face.

"How's he holdin' up, Vince?" Matt climbed into the front passenger seat of the van. He wasn't overly familiar with the Ft. Lauderdale area.

"About as well as you could expect. He was sure upset when he called Roy this morning." He drove the four and a half miles from the airport to the police department where Will Houston was being held.

"Have they set a bail hearing yet?" Matt was determined get Will out of jail as quickly as possible.

"Not yet, but the lawyer showed up about an hour after Roy called you, so he's not alone." He knew exactly why Matt was so worried, since he himself had helped to rescue the man from the Afghan prison where he was being held prisoner.

The three walked into the police station and were directed to have a seat. The sergeant behind the desk had a bit of an attitude and CJ knew that her husband was about to make a comment so she took him by the arm and took him over to a row of benches that were against the western wall of the lobby. After a twenty minute wait, a detective came downstairs and talked to the sergeant for a minute and was pointed in the direction of the three, who stood as he walked over to them.

"Mr. Houston? I'm Det. Carl Horton." He held out his hand and Matt shook it before introducing his wife and Vince.

"Would it be possible for us to see Will?" The detective started to shake his head no. "Has my uncle spoken to you about Will being held prisoner in Afghanistan?"

The policeman looked surprised. "No, he didn't. What happened exactly?" Matt filled him in. "Oh, well…" He looked around. "They would prefer that there weren't too many visitors. I don't know if you've had much experience…"

Vince chuckled and received a startled look from the man. "Sorry. I was a detective with the LAPD. This guy here acts as a consultant to the department – he's a private investigator. And so is she." He nodded toward the Houston's.

"You can contact Lt. Hoyt at the LAPD if you need to confirm it, but here's my license." Matt pulled his private investigator's license out of his wallet and showed it to the man, as well as his ID that had been issued to him by the department, that listed him as a consultant. That did the trick.

"Alright, if you'll give me a few minutes to run it by the lieutenant in charge I'll get right back to you. Please have a seat." Matt took back the ID's and sat back down with CJ and Vince.

When the detective had headed back upstairs, Vince leaned forward and looked around CJ. "When in the hell did they give you an ID?" He was surprised.

"A few months back – after I pointed out how lax the security around there was. It was the chief's idea."

"Maybe you should have dropped his name instead of Hoyt's." Vince grinned at his friend.

"I'm saving that for later if I need it." Matt winked at him.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Det. Horton came back down. "He says you can come up for a short visit, Mr. Houston. And you two as well." He led them to the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor and looked at Houston. "The lieutenant spoke with Lt. Hoyt. He more than vouched for you – and also told us to call the chief if we had any other concerns." He smiled. "Lt. Montoya is – well, let's just say he's not the friendliest person in the world. Just be careful." Matt gave him a questioning look. "He had the phone on speaker and I heard some of the conversation." The detective chuckled. "Sounds like things get kinda wild out in LA."

"Yeah, they do." Matt grinned. The elevator stopped and they stepped off and were directed to one of the interrogation rooms. The moment they stepped inside, a look of relief came over Will's face. Matt walked over and gave his cousin a hug. "What's the big idea, Cuz? I'm usually the one getting in trouble, not you."

Will shook his head. "I didn't do it, Matt. I don't even remember going home with her."

The lawyer stood up and shook CJ's hand. "It's good to see you again, CJ."

Matt's wife introduced them. "This is George Carlini; George, this is my husband Matt and our friend Vince Novelli." They all shook hands.

Roy stepped over and patted Matt on the back. "I'm sure glad to see you, boy."

Matt patted his uncle on the shoulder. "We're going to get to the bottom of this; don't worry." He and CJ sat down at the table and he pulled out a notebook. "Okay, Will – start to finish. Tell me everything."

"Well, I went to a club last night. Figured since we weren't going to be working today, I would go out and have a good time. So I asked the cab driver where I should go and he took me to "Club Moonlight". After a couple of hours, this girl came up to me at the bar and we started talking, then hit the dance floor, and then found a table so we could talk a little more. That's the last thing I remember until about noon." He looked shaken and took a deep breath before continuing. "I woke up and didn't have a clue where in the heck I was. When I looked down there was blood all over my hands. Of course I freaked out. I got up and started walking around and there she was – on the other side of the couch lying in a puddle of blood." He covered his eyes with his hands. Matt noticed they were shaking and looked at CJ.

"Does this sound kind of familiar?" He was referring to an incident with the CEO of Houston Industries, Murray Chase, the year before.

"Yes it does. Detective, has a drug test been done on Mr. Houston?" CJ looked at Horton.

"Yes ma'am, that was one of the first things that we did when he was brought in."

Carlini nodded. "I also had a private lab give him another test. Will, your bond hearing will be at 9:00am."

"Is there any way we can have bail set tonight?" Matt didn't want his cousin spending any more time than absolutely necessary behind bars.

The lawyer shook his head no. "I tried, but I can't get him in until tomorrow."

"How much do you think it will be?" Matt could afford whatever it was but needed to know.

"I have no idea. Since he has no ties to the area, that will probably go against him. But he's never been in trouble before, so that fact might well off-set it. Plus a lot of it depends on the judge."

Matt looked over at Will. "I'll be okay, Matt." He knew what was going through Matt's mind.

"Okay, we'll get you out of here ASAP." He stood up and walked around to his cousin who was shackled and handcuffed to the table and gave him a hug, whispering something in his ear. Will nodded at him.

Roy walked over to his son and hugged him as well. "You stay out of trouble, boy."

"I will, Dad."

Matt turned to Det. Horton and held out his hand. "Thanks for your help, Detective. I really appreciate it." They shook and Horton led the four out of the interrogation room and to the elevator. No one spoke on the ride down in the elevator.

Outside the building, the lawyer stopped as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "CJ, I'll be here as soon as they'll let me in."

"I really appreciate your help, George. It's good to see you again – I just wish it wasn't for this reason."

They went their separate ways and Matt looked at his watch. It was after 9:00pm local time. "We need to find a hotel room, CJ."

"I've already done that for you." Vince opened the driver's door of the van. "I got you a room on the floor above us." They all climbed into the van. "Don't you two make too much noise up there tonight." He winked at Matt.

"I could sure go for some dinner about now. How about you, Uncle Roy?" CJ leaned her head on the man's shoulder.

"I guess so." He sounded less than enthusiastic.

"It'll be okay." She patted Roy's hand.

"I hope so, CJ." Roy Houston looked out the window of the van as they went back to the hotel.

"How about I order us some pizzas, will that work for y'all?" Matt grabbed the luggage out of the van along with Vince when they arrived and they headed on into the hotel for the night. While they were waiting for the pizzas down in the suite that Roy, Will, and Vince had been sharing Matt pulled out his phone and called the ranch. Sheila picked up on the first ring. "Hi there. How are you girls doing?"

"We're just fine and having a good time. She just finished up a jar of green beans and bananas. Want to talk to her?" Sheila had been having a lot of fun taking care of Catey Rose. She was an easy child – hardly ever fussy unless she was teething.

"Sure – if she has time." Matt's eyes lit up when Sheila held the phone up to his daughter's face and she began babbling at him. "Hey there, Lady Bug. Are you taking good care of Sheila?" He hit the speaker button as Catey began babbling again. "I guess that's a yes."

"Hey sweetie pie. Can you be a good girl till Mama gets back home?" Although she hadn't said anything all day about it, CJ had missed her daughter terribly. Catey babbled some more and then it got quiet.

"She decided that it's time to play ball with her teddy bear." Sheila was laughing. "We're fine here. Don't worry about us. How are things there?"

"Not moving fast enough to suit me. We're going to try to get him out on bail in the morning. Call me if y'all need anything, okay?" Houston missed Catey just as much as CJ did but knew that the others would rib him for it if he said anything.

"We'll be just fine. I took her down to see Cricket earlier. We didn't go for a ride but they had a nice little chat anyway. You two be careful down there."

"Alright darlin' we'll talk to you tomorrow. 'Bye." Matt hung up and looked at his phone for a minute afterward: the wallpaper on it was of Catey and her favorite teddy bear.

Vince grinned. "So how do you like having Sheila around 24/7?"

"I like it just fine. She and Catey are crazy about each other and I know she can be trusted without a doubt." Matt put his phone back into his shirt pocket and leaned back, putting an arm around CJ.

"You miss her, too, huh?" She looked at her husband.

"Yep, little stinker that she is." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

No one spoke for a minute. "Vince, how would you feel about going to "Club Moonlight" tonight?" Matt looked across at his friend.

"I was hoping you would say that. This whole thing has pissed me off." Vince hadn't known Will too well before they had started working together, but all of the time they had spent together since starting on the job had been great. He now had a new friend.

"Good. I was hoping you would say that."

**CHAPTER 3**

An hour later the two men took the van to the club that was about two miles from the hotel. On the ride over, Vince glanced over at Matt. "You know your cousin has been telling me all kinds of things about you."

"He has?" Matt grinned and cocked his head at his best friend.

"Uh huh, like some of the mischief you two used to get into. Like the double date at the drive in with that pair of twins?" He started laughing.

"Oh boy. What exactly did he tell you?" Matt remembered the event well and was hoping that Will hadn't told Vince everything that happened.

"He told me the whole thing. Their dad was a deputy…you and your date got caught in a rather compromising position…by none other than her dad…all the details." Vince was doing his best not to run off the road he was laughing so hard.

"Hmm…guess I'm going to have to have a talk with the man tomorrow." Matt was grinning himself, then cracked up. "Although I didn't think so when it was happening, that really was a good time."

"Dude, her dad was a deputy and you knew he earned extra cash working security there…" The former cop was laughing as he pulled into the parking lot of the club.

"What can I say, Vince; youth and…well, horniness won out over smarts." He got out of the van laughing.

As they headed around to the front of the building the pounding of the music inside the club was vibrating the sidewalk under their feet. "You know we're going to have a tough time questioning anybody in here – we won't be able to hear 'em." Vince cut his eyes over at Matt. The cowboy didn't say anything. "You know?"

"Huh?" Matt's expression was dead-pan and it took Vince a minute to figure out that the PI was playing him.

They walked through the front door and the sound was incredible. Exchanging a grimace, they walked on in and up to the bar ordering a couple of beers. When their drinks arrived, Matt leaned back against the bar and looked around. At one time, not too long ago, he might have enjoyed the place. Nowadays he was happier at the ranch in the peace and quiet of the hills. Leaning over to holler in Vince's ear, he said, "I think we should start with the bartender." When the heavy-set man worked his way back down in front of the two, Matt leaned forward. "Hey Pard – I've got a question for you. Did you see this guy in here last night?" He showed a picture of Will that was on his cell phone.

"Nope." The man continued to dry glasses.

"Are you sure? Here, take another look." Matt held the phone out a little closer.

"Nope."

"How can you be so sure?" Vince leaned in closer.

"Because I didn't work last night, that's how." He scowled at the pair.

"Guess you are certain. Do you know who worked last night?" Houston raised his voice just slightly as, unbelievably, the music got louder.

"Yep." The man picked up another glass. The private eye and his friend looked at each other and Matt pulled a twenty out of his pocket and slid it across the bar. "Manny."

"Is he here tonight?" As Matt waited for an answer the bartender picked up another glass and began drying it as he stared at the PI, who pulled another twenty out of his pocket and slid it across. The bartender didn't answer. "Well?"

"Nope." Grinning, the large man walked back down to the other end of the bar as Matt shot him a dirty look and said something under his breath.

"What?" Vince couldn't hear him.

"Never mind – it might corrupt you. Let's see if we can get some information from the waitresses." They walked over to a table and had a seat. There was an almost quiet moment as the music ended. Matt knocked back the rest of his beer and motioned for the waitress. Leaning forward, he spoke to Vince. "Don't drink anything else. You're the designated driver tonight."

"Well hell you shoulda told me that before I ordered the beer." Vince set the bottle down on the table as the waitress approached Matt smiling until she saw the wedding ring on his finger.

"Hey there, did you work here last night?" Matt was practically having to yell to be heard.

"Yeah, I did. Why?" She looked a little leery of the two.

"Did you happen to see this guy in here?" He held out the phone and the picture of Will.

"Yeah, he sat at this very table in fact. Kinda weird, huh?" She smiled at him. "Why?"

"Well he's my cousin and he's in a little bit of trouble. Do you remember the girl that he was with?"

"Yeah, she comes in here all the time." She looked out on the dance floor. "I don't see her tonight, though."

"Do you know anything about her?" Matt was fast getting tired of yelling.

"Well yeah, she uh…well, she's a hooker. I was kind of surprised that your cousin was with her…he was cute enough not to have to pay for it."

"Oh, well, uh… does she work for herself or has she got a pimp?" He really hoped there wasn't a pimp, but if there was it might actually help them.

"She's definitely got a pimp. As a matter of fact, do you see the guy out there in the purple shirt?" She pointed out on the dance floor. After a minute, Matt finally spotted the man.

"Yeah, is that him?"

"Uh huh. But you better be careful – he's mean." She gave the PI a look of warning.

"Do you know what his name is?"

"Everybody calls him Preacher."

Matt reached down in his pocket and took out a hundred dollar bill and one of his cards. "I appreciate the help. If you happen to think of anything else I would appreciate it if you would give me a call. And would it be possible for me to get your number – just in case?"

"Wow! Thanks! I will." She tucked the tip into her fully stuffed top, jotted down her name and number on a cocktail napkin, and smiled at Matt over her shoulder as she headed back toward the bar.

"Did she just say that his name is Preacher?" Vince was leaning across the table again so that his friend could hear him.

"Yup." Matt nodded and kept an eye on the man that the waitress had pointed out. After the song that was playing ended he left the dance floor and headed toward the back of the club. Matt and Vince exchanged a look and headed that way as well. When they got past the crowd moving on and off of the dance floor as another song started, they could see that the pimp was headed for the restroom. They picked up the pace and went in the door and looked around. The man was standing at one of the urinals. Houston rolled his eyes at Vince, then went over to the sink and washed his hands. When the pimp finished and started by, Matt turned. "Hey, could I talk to you for a minute?"

The pimp stopped and looked Matt up and down, stopping to look at the cowboy boots that were on the man's feet. "What?"

"I need to ask you a couple of questions. My cousin…" He held out the phone again, showing the picture of Will. "He was in here last night and I understand that he was with one of your girls. Could you tell me anything about her?" Just as he got the last word out of his mouth the pimp took a swing at him. Quickly ducking, Matt punched him in the stomach, knocking him back towards one of the stalls. The force of the man hitting the door knocked it open, much to the regret of the man who happened to be inside with his pants down around his ankles. As the pimp scrambled up off of the man's lap, he pulled a switchblade out of the pocket of his pants. "I just need to ask a couple of questions – that's all."

Apparently Preacher the Pimp didn't like questions and he growled as he started back across the room toward the PI. As he took a swing at Matt with the knife in his right hand, the cowboy executed a lightning-fast crescent kick and easily knocked the weapon out of his hand, then speared him with his right shoulder and pushed him back into another stall that luckily was not occupied.

"Look, it's just a couple of questions." The pimp tried to swing at Matt, who was considerably quicker. He ducked and hit the man square in the jaw, stunning him long enough for Matt to spin him around and twist his right arm behind his back gripping the last three fingers on his hand and giving them a tweak. The pimp hollered out in pain as the PI raised the arm up toward his shoulder blade, causing him to bend over, his face just inches above the bowl of the toilet.

"I don't know how often they clean in here, Bud, but I sure wouldn't want my face to be where yours is right now. If you don't give me some answers you're going to get to do an up close inspection of the john, you understand me?"

"Yeah…what do you wanna know?" The man was breathing heavily.

"Tell me about the girl…I know you know that she's dead otherwise you wouldn't have caused all this trouble." Matt's voice was calm and even, like he was having a civil conversation over a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, she picked the guy up last night in here. So what? From what I heard on TV he offed her."

"No he didn't, but he's been accused of it. Now: who did it?" When the man didn't answer immediately, Matt gave the fingers a little more twist.

"I don't know! Please!"

"Who do you know who might have wanted her dead?" Matt backed off the fingers slightly.

"I don't know…her boyfriend maybe?"

"What's his name?"

"I don't know….no! Stop, man you're gonna break my whole damn arm!"

Matt twisted the fingers and the arm even further. "Answer me now, or it's gonna get snapped."

"Roger. Roger Michelson. That's all I know, man!"

"Where does he live?"

"They were shacked up together at her place – now let me go!" The pimp was near tears.

"If I find out you know something else I'll be back and that arm won't be the only thing broken. Do you understand?" The pimp nodded. "Okay, you're going to stay right here for the next five minutes, and then you will walk out of here like nothing ever happened. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Matt turned the man loose and walked toward the door of the bathroom with Vince two steps in front of him. They went straight to the front door and out to the van. "Let's get out of here quick, Vince." Matt climbed into the passenger seat as his friend cranked the engine and dropped it into gear.

"Not bad, Ace. You've still got a move or two left in you." Vince was grinning as they took off down the street toward the hotel.

**CHAPTER 4**

"So Preacher the Pimp thinks maybe the boyfriend, Roger Michelson, did it." Matt was sitting on the couch once again with CJ. "Want to see if you can find anything on him?"

She opened up the laptop and started searching. "Okay, Roger Allen Michelson, age 26, blonde and blue." Continuing to work the keyboard, CJ switched to another database. "Alright according to the Sun Sentinel, Michelson has been busted three times: once for DUI, twice for possession. Did a short stretch for the DUI and one of the possession charges and…hmm, this is interesting. He got popped several months ago for domestic abuse on none other than Kim Burch, our dead hooker. But it looks like she dropped the charges." She looked around a little more on Michelson but didn't hit on anything else. "Alright, let's switch gears here and look into Kim Burch. She's been up on solicitation charges…dang! Nine times. She's done time twice, the first time was ninety days, the second time was six months. Nothing else on her."

Matt absently scratched his moustache with the back of his thumb. "So what Preacher said could be right on the money." He stood up and walked over to the sliding door to the balcony overlooking the Atlantic. "Do we have any idea where Michelson works?"

CJ worked the keyboard some more. "Aha! When he was busted for possession he was working for Castaway Beach Charters. They do parasailing, boat rentals, jet skis, fishing trips, and snorkel tours. And…how convenient, they're three blocks from here, south on the dockside."

Matt stepped out on the balcony and looked to the south. "Okay, guess I know where I'm going in the morning." Coming back in he looked over at his uncle. "He's going to be okay, Uncle Roy."

"I hope so, Matt. He's been through too much already in his life." Roy Houston had spent quite a few years working for the CIA. In that time, he had become a master at concealing his emotions, but that didn't extend to his son. He had gone so many years thinking that Will was dead, then Matt found him alive and brought the two back together. "I can't lose him again." There was no mistaking the emotion in the man's voice.

CJ got up and went to him, putting her arms around him, and then kissing his cheek. "We're going to get him out in the morning. We'll get it straightened out."

A short time later, Matt and CJ headed up to their room for the night, but before they left, Matt asked Vince to come out onto the balcony with him for a minute. He closed the door behind them and leaned on the decorative wrought iron railing. "Vince, would you do me a favor?"

"Anything." Vince was leaning against the wall of the hotel.

"Keep a close eye on him tonight. I'm worried about him." He turned to face his best friend. "He's been wound up pretty tight over this whole security system deal – he worked hard to get it and he's been working hard to see it through. Uncle Roy isn't a spring chicken."

"I will, Matt. I had already decided that."

"Okay." He started in then stopped. "Tell you what: I'm going to take CJ up and get her settled in for the night and then I'm coming back down here. I've just got a bad feeling that I can't shake. Keep your phone on vibrate and I'll call you when I head down so you can open the door."

"I'll do it." They headed back in and Matt and CJ headed upstairs. As they rode up in the elevator, she squeezed his hand. "You're going back down there, aren't you?"

Matt nodded. "I don't like the way he's looking, CJ." They got off of the elevator and went into their room, then Matt checked to make sure everything there was secure. As he got ready to go back down, he pulled CJ to him and kissed her, then wrapped his arms around her and stood there hugging her for a minute.

"It's going to be okay, Matt." She could read him like a book.

"Yeah, I know." He kissed her cheek again and headed for the door. "Love you, Babe."

"Love you. Call me if you need me."

"I will." He quietly left and pulled out his phone, dialing Vince. "I'm on the way."

"Okay, I'll be ready." Vince hung up and looked over at Roy, who was standing looking out of the balcony doors. Matt was back at the room in less than two minutes. He lightly tapped on the door and Vince opened it. "He's just been standing there looking out."

Matt went over to his uncle. "Hey." Roy turned - a look of surprise on his face.

"I thought you went upstairs."

"I did and now I'm back." He put a hand on his uncle's shoulder. "You need to get some sleep." Steering the man toward the bed, Matt looked over at him. Roy was in his seventies but usually came across as younger but that night he looked older.

"I don't think…"

His nephew stopped him. "Yes you can and yes you will. Get ready for bed, Uncle Roy." Matt's demeanor said that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Roy stood looking at him for a minute and then sat down on the edge of the bed and began to undress. Matt walked back toward the doorway and began talking to Vince in a quiet voice, while still keeping an eye on his uncle. Roy went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later and climbed into the bed. Matt stuck his head back in the door. "'Night."

"Good night, Matt. And thanks." The older man turned over on his side and within a few minutes was sleeping soundly.

Matt went in quietly to check on him and, satisfied that he was resting, went back out to the living room of the suite and sat down on the couch next to Vince. "CJ and I were talking a few weeks back – he needs to take a vacation when these installation jobs are over."

The former cop nodded. "He's a tough old man, but I've noticed the last couple of weeks he's…I don't know, there's just something different about him. Will has noticed it, too." They were both quiet for a minute. "You know, Mama is absolutely crazy about him."

"It's mutual." They smiled and looked at each other. "We might end up being cousins, you never know."

"Nah." Vince sat there for a minute. "Hell, we're already brothers. Why make the family tree any more complicated?" Both men chuckled.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you this, but considering everything that's going on and knowing how you feel…" Matt grinned and looked over at his best friend. "What would you think about spending Thanksgiving at the ranch in Texas – with the whole Novelli clan?"

"Seriously?" Vince was amazed.

"Yep, I called Mama and Isabella earlier when we were on the way down here and asked if they would be able to get away for a few days and they jumped on it. I think they might miss you – just a little bit." He smiled at the look on Vince's face.

"Phew! Thanks a lot. I was trying to figure out if I would be able to fly there for a day or two but given how busy the airlines are…thanks, Ace – I really do appreciate it."

Houston motioned toward the bedroom. "Uncle Roy told me this morning how homesick you were."

"I…well I haven't said a word."

"You didn't have to, bud. It's really obvious."

"It is, huh?"

Houston nodded and got quiet, staring out into the dark night. He sure missed Catey Rose. It was the first time he and CJ had both been away from her for any length of time.

"She's alright you know – Sheila won't let anything happen to her." Vince could tell what his friend was thinking.

Matt chuckled. "Obvious, huh?" Vince nodded and grinned. "Well I can't help it – I miss the little booger." They got quiet for a while and could hear Roy buzzing away in the other room. Toeing off his boots, the PI propped his feet up on the coffee table and settled back into the couch.

Waking up a little after 3:00am, Matt tiptoed to the door of Roy's room and could hear him snoring slightly. After getting a drink, he settled back in on the couch where Vince was conked out on the other end. He woke up again at 5:30 and found Roy already dressed and drinking a cup of coffee out on the balcony.

Stretching and yawning, Matt stepped out to join his uncle. "Mornin', Uncle Roy."

"You two were performing a regular chorus in there with your snoring." Roy cocked his head and looked at his nephew.

"Sorry." Matt sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You didn't have to stay, you know." The older Houston looked out over the ocean.

"Well CJ was worried about you." The PI looked down and to the left as he lied.

"Bull – you were worried." Roy grinned at the man.

"She was, too." Matt smiled. "Look, I want you to do something for me. After you get these installation jobs done, I want you to take a vacation."

"Good. Because I want to. As a matter of fact, I believe a trip to Hawaii might be in order." He had surprised his nephew with that one.

"Good." They continued to sit and drink coffee until there was a knock on the door. Matt went to open it and found his wife standing there.

"Mornin', Babe." He gave her a kiss after closing the door behind her. "Want some coffee?" They stepped out onto the balcony and CJ walked over to Roy, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, my handsome uncle." She sat down between the two men and took a sip from the cup of coffee that her husband had poured for her.

"And how is my beautiful niece this morning?" Roy reached over and patted her hand.

"Just fine." CJ cocked her head to look at her husband. "So what's our first order of business?"

"Well, I want you to go meet up with your friend George and take care of the bail. Uncle Roy, I think you should go as well. Vince and I will go to Castaway Charters and see what we can find out about Michelson. And sometime today I want to go look at the crime scene. I'll probably have to get with Det. Horton in order to do that." He stood up and stretched, then leaned over and kissed his wife. "But the first thing I'm going to do is grab a shower. I'll see y'all in a little bit."

**CHAPTER 5**

"Mr. Ericson, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us." Matt and Vince had just met the owner of Castaway Charters and were currently sitting down with the man having coffee on the fly deck of a one hundred and thirty foot yacht. Vince thought that it slightly resembled a destroyer.

"I'm happy to help you any way I can…" He shifted in the cushioned booth. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you a lot about Michelson. My brother Shane normally runs the day-to-day operations and I focus on funding and…well, in a casino they are referred to as whales. I'm sure you understand." He gave the two detectives a well-practiced smile. Matt thought it was reminiscent of a used car salesman.

"At this point anything you can tell us about him would be helpful." Matt didn't know why, but the little voice in his head was screaming at him that somehow Ericson was involved in the deal.

"Well, let's see; I know he was in trouble over drugs one time and that he had gotten busted on a DUI or some such. And there was also a domestic violence incident." He took another sip of coffee. "When Michelson was here and sober, he was a great asset to the company."

"In what way?" Matt took a sip of the coffee and propped his left ankle on his right knee and leaned back in the chair.

"Let's just say he had a way with the ladies. Often times we get asked to babysit someone's wife or girlfriend while the man is conducting business. He was also a good scuba guide." The greasy smile let Matt know that Michelson did more than give diving lessons.

"Uh huh. Anything else?" Ericson was a complete waste of time in Matt's opinion.

"No, that's pretty much it. Like I say, my brother had more contact with him, but he's out of town right now."

"And when will he be back?" Vince Novelli's old cop instincts were screaming loudly at him. Something just wasn't right here.

"Oh, it will probably be a month or better. He's out of the country."

"Thanks again, Mr. Ericson." Matt put down the cup of coffee and stood up with Vince following right behind. Once they set foot back down on the dock and started back to Matt's rental, they exchanged a glance. After they were out of earshot, Matt shook his head. "I've cleaned out a lot of barns in my time but I believe there was more crap on that boat than in any barn I've ever been in." He slid behind the wheel of the Expedition that he had rented that morning. "Let's put a little distance between us and Slick there before we pull out the laptop." He went up North Atlantic Boulevard about a mile before pulling over to the curb and putting the SUV in park. Vince pulled out the laptop and handed it to him. "Alright let's see what we can find out about the Ericson brothers." He started with the man they had just spoken with, Charles Ericson. "No wonder he was using a casino term. Up until two years ago he managed a casino in Vegas – the Sure Deal. Why does that sound familiar?" After another bit of working the keyboard he nodded his head. "That's why. It was one that was a front for the mob. They got shut down. I wonder how come he isn't in prison?"

"Maybe his "friends" helped him out?" Vince looked out over the ocean and thought about his family. He and the boys spent a good deal of time on the beach out behind their house.

"You know it's kinda looking like that. Listen to this: "Casino Manager Charles Ericson was found to have been an unknowing accomplice to the money laundering scheme which closed the doors of the casino."" Matt shook his head. "How could he not have known about something like that if he was the manager?"

"Unless he didn't come to work until noon and spent the time between noon and midnight swigging martinis he had to have known. What about the brother? It seems awfully convenient that he's out of the country for an extended stay."

"Yep, that's what I thought, too. Shane Ericson…" Matt gave a chuckle. "Looks like little brother has been popped for running drugs." He stopped for a minute and looked up at Vince. "You know, running a charter company like this would be a perfect cover for bringing drugs into the country."

"Uh huh, somehow I don't think the fishing trips and parasailing profits bought that yacht – or the other three that were tied up there. These guys are into something up to their ears." Vince had missed being a detective and was more than happy to try to find the dirt on the Ericsons.

Matt looked at his watch. It was after 9:00am and he hadn't heard anything from CJ or Roy about Will making bail. He decided to go talk to Det. Horton and see if he could get into the crime scene and talk to the man about the Ericsons. "Let's go see Horton." He closed the laptop and handed it back to Vince who put it back in the case as Matt dropped the SUV in gear and slid away from the curb headed toward the police department.

"I'm willing to bet you'll have to talk to Lt. Montoya before you go anywhere. That's how I would play it if it was me." Vince looked over at his friend. "Come to think of it, that is how I played it when we first met." He grinned, thinking back on it.

"Yeah, I'll bet you're right." He kept wondering about Will's bail hearing and jumped when his phone rang. "Yeah Babe, whatcha got?"

"He's out. I don't want to say too much right now. Roy and I are taking him back to the hotel. What are you boys doing?"

"We're about to go talk to Horton and try to get in to look at the scene. I'll talk to you when we get back. Love you, Babe." He knew that something was afoot with CJ not wanting to talk to him on the phone; the question was why? Was it because she didn't want Will to hear or someone else?

"Love you, too. Be careful." She hung up and was gone. Matt looked over at Vince.

"Something's up, Houston. She's hardly ever that tight-lipped." Vince knew both of them well enough to know when CJ was being extra cautious.

"Yep." He drove on and arrived at the station a few minutes later, walked up to the front desk and asked for Det. Horton.

"Are you Mr. Houston?" The wise-looking sergeant behind the counter was giving Matt a skeptical look.

"I am." Matt couldn't count the number of times that he had been through situations like this one: dealing with cops who doubted his motives for investigating a case.

The sergeant produced two visitor's passes and instructed the pair to go up to Lt. Montoya's office on the second floor. As they rode up in the elevator they exchanged a glance and Matt cracked up. "What?" Vince wondered what Matt thought was so funny.

"Now you're getting a taste of what I go through all the time." He grinned at his friend as they stepped off of the elevator and the first sound that met their ears was that of an infuriated Lt. Montoya lighting into one of his detectives. "I wonder if this guy has a bottle of antacid in his desk like Hoyt?" Vince just shook his head.

The lieutenant finished his tirade and turned to see Matt and Vince standing there waiting for him. "Uh, well would you look what we have here: a fancy Hollywood private eye and his faithful sidekick. My office –now."

Matt rolled his eyes at Vince and they followed the cop into his office where the door was slammed shut behind them. "So what do you want?" He stomped over and sat down heavily in his chair.

"We'd like to get a look at the scene." Matt was standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh sure, we just let every private eye go traipsing through a crime scene. Who in the hell do you think you are?" Montoya leaned forward with his hands on the desktop, looking ready to spring across it at any time.

"I'm a private investigator investigating a case, that's who." He didn't take his eyes off of the lieutenant's and kept his voice even and conversational.

"Well do you have a PI's license for Florida?" The angry cop leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming.

"No, I don't." Matt's tone dropped down a couple of octaves and got Vince's attention. "I don't need to have one – California and Florida have a reciprocity agreement in place." Montoya's face fell. "Now I would appreciate a little cooperation here, Lieutenant - unless you've got something to hide." His voice was very low and very quiet, a fact that unsettled his friend slightly. Novelli looked back and forth between the two men who had yet to break eye contact. Matt had never been a shrinking violet, but Vince could sense a difference in the man. He had always had a confident air about him, but these days there was a definite toughness and touch of danger to him when he got angry.

"Yeah well, we won't just turn you loose in there – you're going to be heavily supervised. I don't care what that lieutenant in LA said. Who's to say you aren't paying him off? I heard you were a millionaire and I did a little checking on you. Rich guy wanting to play private eye, huh? Well, you don't scare me and I won't be bought and paid for – by anyone."

"I hope you investigate the cases in this office better than you investigated me – I'm not a millionaire." Matt's tone was still low and level and he had yet to blink.

"Bull – I know what I read."

"Well then your information was out of date. Maybe while we're looking at the scene you can brush up on your investigating skills." He quietly turned and headed out the office door and walked into the squad room, spotting Horton in the middle of the room. Walking over trailed by Vince, he stuck out his hand to the detective. "Good morning." Vince did a double take: Matt's voice was back to its regular level and tone.

"It is morning, but I'm not sure about the good part. I take it you want to look at the scene and you got past Attila the Lieutenant?" The last was spoken just above a whisper as he shook Matt's hand.

"Yep. Are you able to go?"

"Yep, anything to get out of here for a while." He grabbed his jacket and led the way to the elevator. The sound of someone pounding on a keyboard could be heard from the lieutenant's office. Matt didn't even bother to look that way, but Vince took a glance: Montoya looked like his nose was glued to the monitor. As the doors closed and Horton pushed the button for the lobby he looked over at Matt. "So how bad did he chew you out?"

"Ahhh, not that bad. I've had worse." He looked over at Vince and smiled. The former cop was still somewhat surprised by what had happened. "You alright, Vince?"

"Uh huh – fine." He continued to watch Matt out of the corner of his eye and was extremely grateful that the PI wasn't mad at him.

"So you were with LAPD, is that right?" Horton stepped out of the elevator and spoke to Vince as they turned in the visitor's passes and headed for the parking lot.

"Yep, had in almost fifteen years when I got shot. I'm just glad this guy was with me when it happened." He pointed at Matt with his thumb. "If it hadn't been for him, I don't think I would be here now."

Matt was looking down at his boots. He still carried a lot of guilt about the shooting and what it had done to Vince, no matter what anyone said. The former cop clapped him on the shoulder. He knew what was going through his friend's mind. They had gone over it time after time and the private eye still felt guilty.

"So you live in LA? You don't sound like you're from California." Horton opened the door to the car and unlocked the doors for the other two men.

As Matt got into the front seat he grinned at the detective. "Nope – I was born and raised in Texas."

"Well with a name like Houston that fits I guess." He chuckled as he started the car.

Matt turned the conversation to the murder of Kim Burch. "Vince and I did a little checking on the victim last night."

"So I guess you're aware that she was a hooker?" The cop stopped at a traffic light.

"Uh huh, and I'm also aware that the boyfriend, Roger Michelson has been in trouble for DUI, drugs, and domestic assault. We were trying to find out a little bit more about him this morning but talking to Charles Ericson is about equivalent to mucking out a barn – or several barns."

"Yeah, he's an interesting individual, too." Horton stopped there.

"We both thought that Shane Ericson just happening to be out of the country on an extended trip was really helpful, too." There was no mistaking the sarcasm in Vince's voice.

"He is, huh? I didn't know that. He's been in some drug trouble before himself."

"Vince and I were discussing the fact that running a charter service like the Ericsons have would be a great cover for importing dope." Matt cut his eyes over at the cop.

Horton nodded. "I shouldn't tell you this, but you're not the only one who thinks so – so does the Narco squad."

"I've got a feeling that's why Shane Ericson isn't around right now." Matt looked out the window of the car as they entered the neighborhood where Michelson and Burch had lived. It was an older section of town, not the worst but not the best either. The cop stopped in front of a tan brick house that looked to have been constructed in the early sixties. It was a ranch style home, having seen better days: the paint on the eaves was peeling, the front steps were cracked and looked like they crumbling away, and the roof was showing obvious signs of needing to be replaced.

"Not exactly worthy of the cover of one of those fancy magazines, huh?" Horton pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the front door after pulling on a pair of latex gloves. "I don't need to remind you fellas not to touch anything I'm sure."

"Nope." Matt was pulling on a pair of black leather gloves and Vince rammed his hands down in his pockets. The private eye jerked his head in Vince's direction. "He's going old school on us." All three cracked up and then headed inside. There was a smell in the house, not just of blood, but of cigarette smoke, mustiness, and something that Matt couldn't quite identify.

"Oh goody, this place has mold issues." Vince pulled his shirt up over his nose.

"Had experience with that have you?" Horton had copied Vince's move.

"Yep, I live in Hawaii. It can be a real booger bear." He looked around and noticed a couple of drops of blood that led behind the couch in the living room that they had entered.

"So it looks like the initial contact was made here." Matt had squatted down over a blood stain on the floor. "And it looks like they moved back here…" He stood and carefully followed the stains around to the back of the couch. "What did the ME have to say?"

"Good old blunt force trauma…but we haven't found the weapon yet." Horton pulled a couple of photos out of the folder that he was carrying. "Here's what we've got. The ME says that the first wound was the nose here." The up close picture of the woman's nose looked like it had been flattened by a bus.

"That would take a good bit of force to do that. Wow." Matt moved so that Vince could see.

"But he said the fatal blows were here to the back of the head. He literally bashed her skull in." The detective showed the picture to the other two men. The damage to Burch's skull was so bad that it appeared that the killer had completely knocked away part of the skull.

"Now this is from the blows – not the ME moving things around?" Matt was amazed at the amount of violence that it would have taken to cause such wounds.

"Yep, these were taken before he cracked into her."

Matt looked Horton straight in the eye. "Do you see a problem with accusing Will Houston of the murder?"

"Yes, I do…but Montoya doesn't. He's the one who put the cuffs on him."

"And just what is he supposed to have done with the murder weapon?" Matt didn't want to cause any further problems with the police department, but it was blatantly obvious that Will hadn't been the one to kill Kim Burch.

"Hey, I'm with you on this – I don't think he did it either. I'm on your side, okay?" Horton looked around. "I didn't really get to see the scene too much yesterday – Montoya had me out canvassing the neighborhood."

"Okay, from my point of view we need to find the murder weapon and some prints on it. Did you get anything back on the drug test?" Matt was doing his best to keep his cool but knowing that the charges against his cousin were bogus, he was having a hard time remaining objective. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I haven't heard yet. Hopefully we'll know what it was soon. And I can say without a doubt he was on something when I got here yesterday."

"Do you know when the trash pickup is here?" Houston continued to look around the house for the murder weapon.

"No, I don't but we can sure enough find out. It's a city pickup, so…" The cop pulled out his cell phone and punched a few numbers and started walking around the house looking for the weapon that had been used in the murders. When he had his back turned, Matt raised up the end of the couch and Vince looked underneath quickly, shaking his head no, that the blunt object they were looking for wasn't there.

Matt walked around the room, searching a set of shelves for anything that might make the semi-circular wounds on Burch's skull. Coming up empty, he spied a closet under the staircase and walked over carefully opening the door and shining a flashlight inside and not finding anything except the mold that he had been smelling since first coming inside the home. "Oh man, Vince…" He closed the door. "You weren't kidding. I just found the mold." Turning away from the closet, Matt sneezed several times. "Think I'm going to have to change my shirt." Vince grinned at him.

They continued to look for the weapon. Det. Horton hung up his phone. "The trash pickup is tomorrow, but I called the lab to see if anyone had gone through the can here and they already did. Took the whole kit and caboodle to the lab." He looked around and blew out a breath.

Looking around the room, Matt noticed that something just didn't seem right. "You know, it seems to me that there's a lamp missing." He pointed to the end table next to the kitchen door; there was a circle that was free from dust, unlike the rest of the table that was covered in it.

Vince looked to where his friend was pointing and then around the room. "Uh huh." He got down on his knees in front of the table and looked at the extension cord that had evidently been the power supply for the lamp. "And it looks like it was moved in a hurry. Take a look." He motioned to Horton. "See, one of the prongs snapped off in the plug."

"Damn!" He looked at the two men.

Matt walked over to the lamp at the other end of the couch. "This one has a round base – and it looks to be about the right size to cause the wound." He stepped back so that Horton could look. The cop did and pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the lab for a tech to come back out to the scene and collect the evidence. Houston noticed how red his face was and he obviously looked angry. "I think we better go outside, Vince." He started that way and headed on down to the car and leaned against the trunk. Vince followed suit and Horton came back out looking like he was even more upset.

"Are you okay?" Matt was still leaning against the car but turned around and faced the angry-looking detective.

"Yeah, but I swear…" He pulled off the latex gloves and threw them into the car, then took off his jacket and loosened his tie. Looking at Matt and Vince, he put his forearms on the roof of the car and put his head down on his arms. Vince and Matt exchanged a look.

"For somebody who's okay, you sure don't look okay…did the mold get to you?" Matt now had a blazing headache himself and his nose was burning as if he had snorted a whole shaker of black pepper.

"I…" The cop started in, then stopped. He looked over at Vince. "Look, you two seem like good people. And I checked on both of you…you had an outstanding service record with LAPD and you…well, let's say we could use somebody like you around here to help out." He shook his head. "I'm in a bad spot and I don't know what to do."

"Is there something we can do?" Matt stood up straight and pulled the gloves off of his hands.

"I think you already are but you don't know it." Horton turned his back to the car and leaned against the passenger door. "As bad as I hate to think it, I believe the Lieutenant is on the take." He looked at the two men. "After I called the lab Montoya called me and chewed me out for being here looking around. Not a word about what we found that could help the case, but he read me the riot act for letting you guys do more than stick your head in the door. It sounds to me like he's trying to hide something."

"Horton, to be honest with you, that's the impression I got this morning. He popped off about not being bought and paid for by anyone – most cops avoid phrases like that – especially when there are strangers around." He hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans. "Is there anyone in IA that you can trust?"

Vince snorted and blew out a breath and his friend turned to look at him. "Sorry, Ace, if you'll recall I've been a couple of rounds with IA before."

"I know that Vince, but believe it or not, just like everybody else there are a few good ones – even there." He turned back to Horton. "Have you talked to anyone else about your theory?"

"Not really. Everybody is afraid to say anything." He blew out a breath. "See, we're in the middle of a budget mess down here – hell, I think the whole world is in a budget mess…but we've already been threatened with losing people. The department as a whole is stretched so thin it almost won't cover. Homicide isn't any exception. But I have overheard a few snippets of conversations in the elevator and the locker room. I think some of the others are beginning to wonder, too."

"Okay, other than what we already talked about here, what else have you got on him?" Matt leaned back against the rear passenger door and looked up at the sky. Storms were predicted for the afternoon.

"Well, he's been divorced twice, has three kids all total, and has always griped about the amount of child support and alimony he had to pay. But he showed up about a month ago with a brand new car – a brand spanking new Camaro. We're talking a good fifty g's here. If he's so strapped by the payments to the exes and the kids, how could he possibly afford one of those?"

"That does sound likely. Have you got anything else?"

"No, not really. But it seems like…" He stopped and sighed. "This is not the first time the Ericsons have popped up on our radar. That's why I already knew who you were talking about when you mentioned them earlier."

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that. So our feelings about them were legitimate."

"Dead on. I've got a buddy that I went through the academy with who works in Narco. They've been watching them for a couple of years now. Here's something else that makes me wonder about Montoya. My buddy has told me a couple of times that they were getting close on making a case against the Ericsons. Then his boss, Lt. Atkins, gets a visit from Montoya. They used to be partners on the beat. After that visit, their case falls apart." He turned and looked up the street to make sure there wasn't anyone else around. "I think Montoya is passing on information that Atkins talks to him about. I think he's warning the Ericsons."

"Uh huh. What do you think, Vince?"

"I think he's right on the money. I've seen this kind of thing happen before, unfortunately. How well do you trust your friend in Narco?"

"Implicitly." Horton was now facing Vince.

"I'm not much on IA, but…it sounds to me like the two of you need to go talk to somebody there. Better yet, get them to meet you somewhere out of sight."

Horton nodded. He looked back up the street again. "Here's the lab guys. You two might want to keep a low profile." Matt and Vince both nodded and went back to leaning on the trunk of the car. An hour later, Horton and the techs walked back out of the crime scene and they rode back to the station.

"Detective Horton, you'll excuse me if I don't go back up there. I think it's better if I don't." Houston shook hands with the man.

"Mr. Houston, Mr. Novelli, I sure do appreciate your help and advice. And call me Carl, please."

"Good Carl, just call me Houston. And I don't care what you call this guy." Matt punched Vince in the ribs.

"I'm Vince." He shook with the detective.

"Guess I better go face the music." He started for the door when Matt stopped him.

"Hey Carl…" He took a couple of steps toward the cop and handed him one of his cards. "Call the cell number there if you need us, okay?"

"Thanks, I'll call you when I find out something from the lab…and maybe before then if I need to make bail for killing someone." He grinned but the mood was far from jovial.

Matt opened up the door to the Expedition and got behind the wheel as Vince slid in the passenger side. As he started the engine and dropped the SUV into gear he looked at his friend. "I believe our new friend has a very large problem."

"Yep." Vince looked back over his shoulder. "Bet he's getting his butt chewed seven ways from Sunday right now, too."

"Yep." They were quiet on the ride back to the hotel and on the way up to the suite.

**CHAPTER 6**

Vince opened the door with his keycard and they walked in to find CJ, Roy, and Will sitting in the living room, none of them looking very happy. Matt walked over to sit down by his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek before putting his arm around her. "So how did it go?"

"Terrible." Will was the first to speak and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

"It went just fine." CJ laid her head over on Matt's shoulder. "Bail was set at $2 million."

"Two? I was figuring one. Damn!" Matt looked down at his wife. "Not that it matters, because we're going to get it back." He looked over at Roy who was watching Will. "Hey Cuz."

Will raised his head and looked at his cousin.

"Now what about it did you think went so bad?"

Roy's son shrugged his shoulders. "Well for starters the fact that it ever happened in the first place, plus it was $2 million."

"I'm not worried about it so there's no reason for you to worry about it, you hear me?" Matt got up and walked over to the windows and began sneezing again.

"Bless you. Are you trying to come down with a cold?" CJ handed him a box of tissues.

"No, but I did get exposed to a bunch of mold in that house. It's a wonder you're not all stuffed up and sneezing." He looked at Will and CJ could see the gears begin to click. "Were you sneezing yesterday when they took you into custody?"

"No." Will looked up at Matt. "Maybe it doesn't bother me like it does you."

"Or maybe you weren't around it long enough for it to bother you." Matt sat down next to CJ again. "You said you woke up on the couch and saw the blood and looked behind the couch and there was Kim Burch, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So your eyes and nose weren't burning, you weren't sneezing, am I right?"

"No, I was just freaking out over the blood."

"But if you had been there all night and up until you woke up, you would have been having the same problems that I am right now." Matt leaned forward and noticed the doubtful look on his cousin's face. "See Vince here and Det. Horton smelled it the minute they walked inside the house and they put their shirts over their noses. But I didn't realize what would happen and I didn't cover my face. Then I opened up a closet and got a big whiff of it straight from the source and started sneezing. My nose is still burning like I snorted black pepper…and I'm still sneezing. Plus my eyes are burning. But you didn't have any of those symptoms." He got up and started pacing around the living room. "Will, you weren't in there long enough for it to affect you. That's why you didn't have a problem."

There was a glimmer of hope in Will's eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"I do. And here's something else." He filled them in on what they had learned at the crime scene and what they had found as well as their conversation with Horton about Lt. Montoya. "I believe you were a patsy, Cuz."

"It's sure looking that way. Now what do we do?"

"You say you remember being at the bar, seeing the girl, dancing, and then sitting down at one of the tables to have a drink. Then you're blank, right?" Matt blew his nose again.

"Yeah. I keep trying to remember what happened after that, but the last thing I remember is staring down into the glass and looking at the ice cubes…they were kind of… I don't know, they looked blurry and then everything was black. Then I was waking up on the couch…" Will got a strange look on his face.

"What?"

"I remember a voice – a guy's voice. He was talking to the girl, telling her that she was getting too greedy."

"Okay, close your eyes and think back to the drink. The ice cubes look blurry and everything is going black. Now you hear the man talking…what do you notice about his voice?" Matt was leaning forward with his pen and notebook in hand.

"He's not old, but his voice sounds, I dunno, kinda strained, like he's been yelling a lot. And he sounds like he probably smokes. There's kind of a Latin accent."

Vince nodded and he and Matt exchanged a look. "Can you hear anything else? Does he say anything else?" Matt thought he knew who his cousin had heard.

"He tells her she's greedy, and then he says something in Spanish. Something like "mountains of Tonto's"….I remember because it made me think of the Lone Ranger – you know, Tonto?" Will opened his eyes and looked at Matt.

"Did he maybe say "manojo de tontos"?" Matt was fluent in Spanish.

"Yeah, that's it. So it's Spanish?"

"Uh huh, means "bunch of idiots" loosely translated." He looked over at Vince. "I believe we may have some more information for Carl, whatcha think?"

"Yep, I believe so. Will, can you remember anything else? You've really been on a roll here." He grinned at the man that he had worked closely with for the last few months.

"I don't know."

"Close your eyes, just like you did before. Start with the ice cubes…" Matt was writing everything down in the notebook.

After a couple of minutes Will opened his eyes and looked at his cousin. "Before the man said – whatever that was – tontos, there was a lot of bumping around like maybe train tracks? I think there was a good bit of time before the guy was talking though. But I smelled gas and motor oil, and…grass. Maybe it was a lawn mower?"

"So maybe you were put in a garage until they needed you." Matt sat back after writing down everything that Will had said. "What about your buddy George?" He looked over at his wife.

"He's going to come over here about 2:00. He had a hearing to go to, but wanted to come talk to Will some more and get a game plan together." She looked at Will. "I'm interested in what the drug test comes up with. I don't think it was GBH though – you weren't acting like Murray did after he got dosed."

Roy, who had been quiet up until then let out a big sigh. "You okay, Uncle Roy?" Matt couldn't help but be concerned about the man.

"Actually, I'm better now than I have been since all of this mess started. We've come a long way in twenty four hours." He patted his son on the back.

"Dad, I'm sorry about all of this."

"You didn't do anything wrong, son. All you did was go out for a good time and you got shanghaied. That's not your fault."

Matt looked down at his watch and it was 11:00. "I'm going to suggest we get some lunch and then see what else we can come up with – what do y'all think?"

"I'm game. But I think we better just order room service – Will isn't supposed to be doing a lot of traveling and I think he would be safer here." CJ looked up at Matt who nodded as his phone rang.

"Yeah Carl, what have you got?"

"Other than a backside that has been thoroughly chewed out I have a lab report: Quaaludes. That's what he was dosed with – and he's lucky to be alive. The lab guys figure he had about 500mg – almost twice the maximum prescribed dose. Hang on a minute." There was silence on the other end of the line. Everyone in the hotel room was quiet as well, since Matt had put the phone on speaker. He suddenly handed the phone to CJ and ran out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him before he started sneezing again. Vince managed not to snicker, however bad he wanted to, and CJ was holding a pillow in front of her face. After what seemed like an eternity, Horton came back. "Sorry about that, I'm hiding in the bathroom so the lieutenant doesn't hear me." CJ lost it at that point, just as Matt walked back into the suite with a confused look on his face. "Uh, Houston?"

"I'm back. What did I miss?" Matt was thoroughly confused when he took the phone back from CJ who was almost in tears.

"You didn't miss anything – except for the fact he's hiding in the bathroom." Vince was chuckling as were Roy and Will.

"Okay, I feel like I've missed out on something myself. Anyway, that's what we've got so far."

"Alright, we've had a little progress here ourselves. What's your email address? I'll just send it to you that way." Matt jotted down the address, hung up, and pulled out the laptop. CJ had managed to pull herself together. As he waited for his email to open, Matt cut his eyes over at his wife. "Now what in the hell was so funny?"

"I don't know – a combination of you running out onto the balcony sneezing your head off and the thought of Horton hiding in the john to make a phone call. Guess it's just one of those days." She grinned over at Matt who shook his head and began typing the message to Horton.

"I sure didn't know that Harvard-trained lawyers got the giggles." He managed to keep a straight face as he said it, then cut his eyes back over at his wife and grinned as she swatted his thigh. "Think you can quit giggling long enough to get us some lunch?"

After a lunch of steak sandwiches and fries, the group sat around talking, bouncing theories about the case around. Matt was standing looking out over the ocean. "I think we need to do some checking on Montoya." He pulled out the laptop and started looking, stopping occasionally to write down some details. Twenty minutes into his search he started sneezing again.

"Maybe we need to get you some antihistamine, hon." CJ handed him the box of tissues again.

"Nah, I'll be alright. Here's what I've got so far. Lt. Carlos Montoya, age 52, spent most of his life right here in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Both of his parents worked at a local hotel. After high school, Montoya went into the Navy for four years. He got out in 1982 and applied at the police academy here. Graduated…hmm, that's interesting. Montoya didn't have a spectacular record at the academy – kind of surprising considering that he's a lieutenant now. He graduated in the lower third of his class. He spent seven years on patrol before he made sergeant…gees. These folks must be pretty open-minded here. This guy had to take the sergeant's exam three times before he passed it and got promoted. Looks like he spent another seven years on patrol before making detective." Matt stopped and looked over at Vince. "Didn't you tell me you were number three in your class at the academy and were on patrol four years when you took the sergeant's exam?"

The former cop nodded. "Aced it the first time out and was made a sergeant three weeks later. Two months after that I made detective."

"I know not everybody is going to make a perfect score and move up the chain of command as quick as you, but this guy was bottom of the barrel. How in the hell did he get where he is?" Matt let the question hang in the air for a few seconds. "Unless he had the goods on somebody…or a couple of somebodies…"

"He wouldn't have even been considered for detective at the LAPD – I can guarantee you. And he sure as hell wouldn't be a lieutenant." Vince was now firmly convinced that there was indeed something shady about Montoya. "What about the guy in Narco that Horton was telling us about – the one that used to be Montoya's partner on the beat?"

"Lt. Atkins, wasn't it?" Matt started working the keyboard again. "Hmm…no wonder they were such buddies, Atkins record is only slightly better than Montoya's…at least he passed the sergeant's exam on the first try and got bumped up right afterward. Not much else on him other than he made detective four years later and …lieutenant hmmm…four years ago." He went back to Montoya's record. "Montoya was made lieutenant two years ago." He leaned back, propping his left ankle on his right knee, and setting the laptop on his leg. "You know, neither one of these guys strikes me as being on the up and up, but Montoya just screams it."

Vince nodded. Although he hadn't been a cop for almost five years now, it ate at his soul to see a crooked cop. "I think we need to set up a meet with Horton, his friend in Narco, somebody from IA that they think they can trust, and us."

Somewhat surprised, Matt looked across the room at his friend. "I agree, but the problem is this: how do Horton and his friend know who they can trust in IA?" No one spoke for a minute and they all considered the problem.

Roy spoke up. "It isn't going to be easy, Matt…but I think that Montoya and Atkins need to be taken down without IA." He had been pretty quiet throughout the whole ordeal and Matt was relieved to see the man giving his opinion on the matter.

"I wondered when the voice of wisdom would speak up." He nodded at Roy and slowly smiled. "Does the voice of wisdom have a plan?"

**CHAPTER 7**

After George Carlini arrived at 2:00 CJ, Matt, and the others filled him in on what they had learned. "Wow, you folks have really been busy." He was more than slightly shocked.

Matt pulled out his laptop again. "Will, I had almost forgotten what you said about the bumps or railroad tracks." He pulled up Goggle maps and started by finding the bar and then the house that Kim Burch had been renting. "6th Street is probably where you went over the tracks." He spun the computer around and showed his cousin the map.

"Yeah, that would probably be it…it's the most direct route."

"You know, I would like to get another look in that place…especially the garage. I wonder if Horton would be willing to go back – without Montoya's knowledge, of course." Matt pulled out his phone and dialed the police detective and they set up a time to meet.

That afternoon after Carlini left, they fine-tuned Uncle Roy's plan to bust not only Montoya but Atkins as well. After they were finished, Matt sat there thinking.

"Penny for your thoughts." CJ leaned her head on Matt's shoulder.

"Is that all they're worth?" He cocked his head and looked down at her before smiling. "I was just thinking that there might be someone else involved in this deal…like maybe Manny the bartender? We never did any checking on him and I don't have a last name to go with the first."

"You and Vince are supposed to meet Horton at 11:00. What if you went back to the bar and tried to find out some more info on the guy?"

"Hmmm…not really sure that going back in there would be a good idea after what happened with Preacher there." Matt sat and stewed for a couple more minutes and then smiled down at his wife. "I forgot about the waitress that we met there." He started digging around in pockets of his jeans and finally found the napkin that the woman had written her name and number on.

CJ gave Matt the raised eyebrow look. "How original – getting a girl's number on a cocktail napkin."

"She's a witness, Babe – that's all." He looked over at her. "I swear…just ask Vince."

Cracking up, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know it…I'm just teasing you, Romeo."

Matt dialed the number and the phone was answered by the waitress. "Hi there, this is Matt Houston. I spoke to you last night about my cousin?"

"Yes, I remember."

"I was wondering if you could tell me the last name of the bartender that was working in there that night – I think his name is Manny?"

"Oh sure, it's Montoya."

"Oh, uh, okay then. I appreciate the help. Thanks." He hung up and looked over at Vince. "Manny Montoya."

"That can't possibly be a coincidence, Houston." Vince had stopped in his tracks.

"Nope, I don't think so either. I'm willing to bet he was in on the doping scheme with Kim Burch, too." He pulled out the laptop once again and started looking for the bartender. "Yep, they're brothers. Manny is about four years younger." He continued to look up information on the man. "Hmmm…looks like he tried to follow in big brother's footsteps. Joined the Navy straight out of high school, made it through boot camp and was stationed on a couple of ships…and then spent the rest of his enlistment in the brig. He was busted on illegal gambling and drugs. Ended up with a dishonorable discharge and landed back here in Florida. He's been busted a couple of times for possession and has been in a few fights it looks like. Just your regular fine, upstanding citizen." After searching for a few more minutes he put away the laptop and walked out onto the balcony, followed by CJ.

He was standing there looking out over the ocean when CJ walked out to join him wrapping an arm around his waist. "Are you okay?"

Matt pulled her in close to him and rested his chin on top of her head. "Yeah, just worried about Will. I'm not letting him get put behind bars again…no matter what. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him free."

"It's going to be fine, Matt." He tilted her head up to him and kissed her, neither one of them knowing that at that very moment they had an audience in an SUV parked down on the other side of the street.

"What do you think?" Carlos Montoya watched his brother as he lowered the binoculars.

"I think we have some loose ends to tie up." He put the Escalade into drive and pulled away from the curb.

"If that damn whore hadn't been so greedy…" Carlos started in.

Glowering at his brother, Manny replied, "No, if you hadn't lost that temper of yours we would be just fine right now."

"No, she's the one…that little…" The lieutenant gave a disgusted growl.

Manny pulled the SUV into an empty parking lot, slammed it into park, and with his forefinger poking his brother's chest emphasizing each word, he spoke. "You – screwed – up – again. And this is the last time, _hermano._ Ericson was ready to take you out this morning when that Houston guy showed up on his doorstep, but I talked him out of it. That's the last time, Carlos. You're out of chances. You screw up one more time and I'll take you out myself."

"Just who do you think you're talking to? I'm the one with the badge, I'm the one…"

"I'm the one standing between you and _la siesta de tierra._ That's who I am. Our little enterprise was running along smoothly until you poked your nose into it. No more. You stay out of it – and you stay away from me."

**CHAPTER 8**

After a video chat with Sheila and Catey Rose, Matt and CJ were on one of the couches in Roy's suite. He was stretched out with his head in her lap while she rubbed his temples. The mold that he had encountered at Kim Burch's rental house had given the private eye a massive headache and he had taken a couple of allergy capsules and was finally beginning to get a little relief. After twenty minutes or so, Matt dozed off.

Roy and Vince were playing chess on the other couch and after putting Vince's queen in mortal danger, Matt's uncle looked over at the pair. "Is he asleep?"

CJ nodded. "That mold must be some bad stuff."

"Depending on what kind it is, how much a person is exposed to and how sensitive they are to it – it can be deadly. That's one thing we have to be careful about at home." Vince was still pondering on ways to keep Roy from taking his queen but he had a feeling it was a lost cause. "But as long as the house is maintained like it should be and the air conditioner is the right match for the home, it isn't usually a problem." He moved his bishop to block Roy.

"Heh, heh - nice try, kid." The older man swiftly moved his rook and took out Vince's queen.

"You know, I used to like you." Vince gave Roy a grimace and went back to the game, this time moving his one remaining knight into a position to take Roy's king. "Check." He grinned up at the former CIA agent.

"Nope. Checkmate to you." Roy moved his other rook and completely demolished Vince's hopes of a win.

"One of these days, old man, one of these days…" He began putting the pieces to the set back into the storage area.

"You'd hate to be a sore loser." Roy picked up his glass of lemonade and swallowed down the rest of it, looking over at Matt once again. "How is he doing in his classes?"

CJ smiled. "Really well – he aced his mid-term exam. As a matter of fact, Rich told me that he was the only one that did – and he's also the only one that isn't already working as a fire fighter." It was obvious that she was proud of him.

"He can do anything he puts his mind to, that's for sure." Roy got up and stretched and went to check on his son who had decided to go take a nap. He had stayed awake all night at the jail. When he came back, he grinned at CJ. "Out like a light."

Motioning to Matt, Vince said, "He told me about the Thanksgiving plans." He was all smiles.

"We thought that might make you feel a little better – and Isabella and Mama jumped on the opportunity. You know, I think Hoyt and his family may come down as well. Matt's been trying to get him to go hunting."

"Should be good." Vince leaned back on the couch, and after a few moments of silence, stood up and stretched. "I'm going for a walk on the beach."

"Believe I'll join you if that's okay." Roy looked up at Vince.

"Sure, the more the merrier." The pair left and CJ tilted her head back on the couch and started to doze. A few minutes later she heard a beeping sound coming from the door of the hotel suite. "You boys didn't stay for very long." Matt jerked awake and as he started to speak, she shook her head and pointed towards the door – there hadn't been any response to her statement.

Carefully and quietly, Matt got up off of the couch and reached into the back waistband of his jeans, pulling out his Glock and taking off the safety. He motioned for his wife to step into one of the bedrooms and eased up against the wall that divided the living room from the entryway of the suite. About that time a man walked in carrying a large square-ended machete. Matt waited until he got a couple of steps from him and then in a very calm voice ordered him to freeze. Instead, the Hispanic-looking man made a swipe at the private investigator who quickly ducked. Hitting the man in the stomach as the machete's blade buried about five inches into the wall, Matt knocked him backwards, towards the door to the balcony.

Rolling back up to his feet, the man pulled a switchblade from the top of his right boot and attempted to throw it at Matt, who once again ducked and dove toward the man in a flying lunge. By this time, all of the commotion had awakened Will, who came into the living room to help his cousin. The force of Matt hitting the man had driven both of them through the glass of the door and crashing out onto the balcony.

Holding his hands together, the intruder pounded on Matt's back as the private eye tried to regain his balance. Instead, he ended up falling to the floor and rolled as the man pulled yet another knife out of his left boot and started toward his prey. Just as the knife swept down in a deadly arc towards him, Matt rolled onto his back and pulled the trigger on the Glock, hitting the man squarely in the chest and sending him backwards to sprawl over the decorative railing and then fall twenty four floors to the sidewalk below, narrowly missing a family who were about to check in to the hotel.

Matt pulled out his cell phone and found the number for Carl Horton. "Carl, it's Houston. We've got a big problem here at the hotel." He gave a quick explanation of what had happened and Carl headed that way along with a patrol unit and someone from the ME's office.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and as Matt opened it, he not only saw Carl Horton as he had expected along with a CSI tech, but Uncle Roy and Vince coming up the hallway.

"What in the hell happened, Houston? There's some guy lying down in front of the hotel who looks like a splattered enchilada." Vince was concerned, but the look on Roy's face was that of outright fear.

"Are you okay, Matt? What about CJ and Will?" He was looking extremely pale. Reaching for his uncle, Matt guided the man into the room. "We're all fine, Uncle Roy but you need to sit down." He led him to the couch and sat down on the coffee table in front of him. The older Houston was sweating and short of breath. "Carl, I think we need somebody to come check him out."

CJ sat down next to Roy, handing him a glass of water and Will knelt down at his side as the police detective called for an ambulance. "Easy there, Dad. Just take some deep breaths. Calm down, okay?" He took his dad's hand in his own and Matt swallowed a large lump that had formed in his throat as he looked over at his wife.

Roy reached over and grabbed his left arm with his right hand. "Carl, get somebody up here now, please." Matt and Will eased Roy down on the couch and removed his tie and unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt. "Easy, bud. Concentrate on breathing right now, okay?" Matt placed a pillow under Roy's head, and helped him to swallow an aspirin that CJ brought to him before placing a cool, wet washcloth on his forehead that she handed him. By the time the ambulance and paramedics arrived Roy was feeling slightly better but complained of being weak and lightheaded. After starting an IV on him and hooking him up to a heart monitor, he was gently lifted by Will, Matt and the paramedics onto the stretcher.

As they started for the doorway, Matt handed the Glock to Carl. "I know you need to talk to me but right now I need to be with him."

"Why don't you and your wife ride down with me and we can talk on the way." Matt nodded and they loaded onto a second elevator and headed down to the parking lot where Roy was being loaded into an ambulance. Matt could see the fear in his uncle's eyes as he got closer. Will was already waiting in the back of the ambulance for his dad. Walking over to his uncle, Matt squeezed his hand. "We'll be right behind you, okay Pard?" Roy nodded, looking slightly relieved.

As they started out of the parking lot with siren blaring, Matt took Carl through the events that had happened up on the twenty fourth floor of the hotel, from start to finish. "I didn't want to shoot him. We needed to know who he was working for and why he was there."

"Houston - that was Manny Montoya – the lieutenant's brother." Carl shot a glance over at the shocked look on the PI's face.

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. And I also had a phone call when I was on the way over here from Det. Lucinda Gutierrez of Internal Affairs – they've been secretly investigating him and she wants my help. I'll call her and fill her in on what's happened when we get there. But I warn you - she's probably going to want to talk to you."

"Whatever it takes, Carl." Matt couldn't worry too much about Montoya right then. He was remembering how it had been when his dad Bill Houston had suffered his last heart attack. Bill died a few days later after surgery. CJ reached up from the back seat and squeezed her husband's shoulder and he took her hand in his right one. "I can't lose him, CJ. I just can't."

"I know, hon." She was near tears herself but knew that right now, more than ever, Roy needed both of them to be strong for him. "We've got to stay positive, Matt. Don't let a bit of fear show through – no matter what." She squeezed his hand again.

"I know, Babe."

**CHAPTER 9**

Roy was rushed into the emergency department at the nearest hospital. Matt and CJ volunteered to help Will fill out the paperwork and had it completed in just a few minutes. A short time later, one of Roy's doctor's came to talk to them. After taking them into a consultation room, Dr. Flores explained that Roy had indeed had a heart attack. "Can you tell me what he's been doing lately? Has he been under a lot of stress?"

Matt's head dropped and CJ rubbed his back as Will began explaining the jobs that they had been working on. "Well, I can see how that could be somewhat stressful, but was he having any other problems?"

"He was upset about a problem with one of the suppliers a few weeks ago, but we got it straightened out without too much trouble." Matt felt a tightness in his throat and CJ leaned over and hugged him.

"And he was upset because I was arrested on a bogus murder charge." Will lowered his head and shook it.

Looking somewhat shocked, the doctor looked back down at her clipboard. "Okay, I see from the paperwork that you filled out that his brother has heart problems?" Dr. Flores looked at Will who nodded and pointed at Matt.

"His dad."

"Could you tell me about your father, Mr. Houston?"

Matt nodded. "He uh, he passed away about four years ago." There was a catch in his voice and he put his head in his hands.

CJ hugged him and explained the circumstances of Bill Houston's death. The doctor nodded. "Alright. Well, I believe Roy's problems are stress related. He is in great shape for a man his age – actually better shape than a lot of younger men." She reached across and took both Matt and Will by the hand. "He's going to be okay. He just needs some medication and a good rest, alright?" Both men thanked her and after being told they could have a short visit with him as soon as he was placed in a room, she left and they headed back out to the waiting room where Vince was sitting.

"How's he doing?" The former cop had driven the van over to the hospital so that they would all have a way back to the hotel.

"He's gonna be okay." Matt plopped down in a chair in the waiting room and heaved a sigh of relief as Will explained what they had been told.

After exhaling a very deep breath, Matt got up and headed for the coffee machine that was situated at the back of the waiting room. "Anybody else want a cup?" After everyone agreed, he began feeding change into the machine and handing the cups around to the others who went back across the room and sat down. Just as he reached down for his own cup he was knocked off of his feet by none other than Lt. Carlos Montoya. As his head hit the floor, Matt was momentarily stunned and when he opened his eyes, he saw the detective standing over him pointing a gun at his head and another at the other people in the lobby.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Montoya was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Calm down and let's talk about this, okay?" Matt was trying to stay calm but the look in the dirty cop's eyes was that of a madman.

"Talk? Do you really think I came here to talk? No, I came here to kill you." He kept shifting his gaze from Matt to the others in the lobby. "You!" He pointed at Vince. "You're the one who was with him this morning. Step forward." Vince tried to say something but was drowned out by the cop. "DO IT NOW OR I SWEAR EVERYBODY IN THIS FREAKIN' PLACE DIES! DO IT!" The former cop took three steps forward. "Now get on your knees." Vince did it. "And you – you're the whole cause of this rotten deal." He pointed the gun at Will and CJ saw Matt tensing up. "Get down on your knees next to your friend." Will stepped up beside Vince and knelt down. "And you – come here." He motioned to CJ who took a couple of steps forward. "I SAID COME HERE!" Slowly she made her way over to the crazed man who grabbed her around the neck with his left arm. He pointed the gun in his right hand at her head.

"Get on your feet, Houston. I want you to have a good view when I blow your lady's head off." He grinned a maniacal smile. Matt carefully got to his feet while everyone in the waiting room watched the drama unfold before them. Houston was wondering where in the hell Carl Horton had gotten off to: he hadn't seen him since they came out from talking to the doctor.

"Nobody's gonna help you now, big shot." Montoya's sick grin made Matt's stomach churn.

"Let her go, Montoya. I'm the one who killed your brother – not her." He needed some kind of a distraction but had no ideas on what that might be; he was afraid for Vince or Will to try something. With Montoya holding two pistols it was an extremely dangerous situation.

"No, I want you to see her die – just like I saw my brother. I was sitting across the street when he fell. I saw him land on the sidewalk." He gave Matt a look of hatred.

Just then a nurse came out into the waiting room from the back and screamed when she saw what was going on, and that was just the distraction that Matt needed. The dirty cop's head jerked in the direction of the scream as did his left arm and CJ dove for cover behind a vending machine as Matt launched himself at Montoya. The gun in his left hand went flying and as he tried to bring the one in his right hand up to the private eye's head, Matt punched him in the jaw with his right hand. He made a dive for the pistol that Montoya had dropped but didn't quite reach it before the detective fired at him, missing him by less than two inches. Matt launched himself at the man again and managed to get behind him. When Montoya brought the gun up once again, the private eye gave what could best be described as a low growl, grabbed the detective's head level with his ears, giving it a twist as he himself dropped to the floor. There was a loud CRACK and Montoya's body went slack. Houston shoved him to the side and jumped back up to his feet before kicking the gun away from the man. When he looked up, the entire population of the waiting room, including Carl Horton and two patrolmen who had just re-entered the building, were standing in slack-jawed astonishment.

Dr. Flores had run out into the waiting room immediately after hearing the nurse scream and after Matt was finished with Montoya, she made her way over to where he lay on the floor. She checked for a pulse and then stood up, looking in amazement at Houston. Carl and the other officers walked over as CJ came out from behind the machine and rushed into her husband's arms. The doctor looked at Horton and simply said, "He's dead."

Everyone in the waiting room was completely silent. Horton looked at the doctor and then at Matt who was holding CJ tightly and had his head tucked over on top of hers, his eyes closed. "Oh, uh, well…" He looked back down at Montoya and back at Matt once more, then pulled his phone from his pocket and called Det. Gutierrez and told her what had happened. He stepped over to Matt. "Are you okay?"

The private eye nodded. CJ looked up into his eyes and saw a look there that she hadn't seen in a long time, not since he had come back from the Army. It was a combination of fear and hate, with a bit of wildness. She held him close once more and laid her head on his chest, slowly rubbing his back in small circles and listened to his heart pounding.

After giving a statement to the police and being checked out by Dr. Flores who diagnosed him with a mild concussion and gave him a cortisone shot and some medication for the allergic reaction to the mold he had encountered, Matt finally got to go up to see Uncle Roy. He, CJ, and Vince quietly slipped into the room where the man was resting, Will seated by his side.

When he heard the door close, he opened his eyes. "Took you long enough. Did you two have a hot date?" He gave the couple a grin, but noticed something in Matt's expression that worried him. "Are you okay, boy?"

"Who me? I'm not the one that had a heart attack. You know you could have just taken off to go see Rosa without all the drama, Uncle Roy." He smiled at the man and held his hand.

"What did you do, Matt?" Roy looked his nephew in the eye.

"I…nothing." Matt looked down and to the left.

"Don't lie to me, Matt. I know when you're lying." Roy raised the bed up slightly. "I heard a big ruckus out in the waiting room while I was being poked and prodded downstairs. Nobody would tell me what was going on. You were there and I know it had something to do with you. Now what happened?"

Very quietly, Matt spoke. "Love you, Uncle Roy." He leaned over and kissed his uncle on the forehead and turned and walked out the door. CJ stood staring down at Roy's hand that she was now holding.

"If one of you doesn't tell me what happened I'm going to get out of this bed and chase him down." CJ and Will exchanged a look.

"Go ahead; he won't rest until he knows." Will stood next to his dad's side.

She patted on the older Houston's hand. "He killed Montoya."

"Yeah I know, I had a heart attack CJ – not amnesia." Roy looked a little grumpy.

"He killed Lt. Montoya in the waiting room." She looked up into Roy's face.

"Good, he deserved it." Roy lay his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes for a minute. "What's got him so upset?" He reopened them and looked between the two.

"He did it with his bare hands – snapped Montoya's neck." She squeezed his hand. "I don't think anything like that has happened since he came back from the Army…he, uh, he's really upset about it. I think it brought back some bad memories that he thought he had buried."

Roy nodded. "He'll be okay, CJ. Just needs a little time. I'm okay here. Why don't you two go take care of him?"

She gave him a small smile and leaned over kissing him on the cheek. "You behave yourself. Love you."

"Love you, too. Now get a move on. And that means you, too, mister. And brush up on you chess game while I'm in here." He grinned at Vince who gave him a hug.

"I will. You rest up so I can beat your butt next time we play." He turned and started for the door behind CJ.

"That'll be the day." Roy chuckled. Just as Vince opened the door for CJ, he spoke again. "CJ…" She turned to face the older man. "Tell him I love him, too." She nodded and the two left to find Matt.

After spending nearly an hour searching for him, they found him sitting on the beach, leaning back against a palm tree with a beer in his hand. Vince sat down on the right side of his friend and pulled a beer out of the cardboard carton sitting next to Matt. "Thanks. I'm kinda thirsty, Ace." He twisted off the cap and took a long swig, then reached for another and cracked it open, handing it to CJ. "Sorry lady – no glasses."

"Nah, I don't need one – I'm from Texas, remember?" She took a long sip and looked out over the waves as she leaned back against her husband who put his left arm around her. Looking over at the man who was not only her husband, but had been her best friend for almost twenty five years she kissed his cheek. "You okay?" Matt nodded but didn't speak; instead, he downed the rest of the beer and put the empty bottle back into the carton before pulling out another and cracking it open. As he took a sip, he looked back out over the waves.

"Roy got a little grumpy after you left. Then he had the audacity to tell me to brush up on my chess game. Can you believe that?" Vince looked over at Matt.

"Yep." He took another long swig of the beer and then closed and rubbed his eyes.

"Hon, are you sure you're okay?" CJ turned to look at him.

"Yeah, just got a hell of a headache." He looked down at the bottle sitting between his thighs and began turning it, looking at the depressions that it left in the sand.

"We told him what happened. He threatened to get out of the bed and chase you down if we didn't." CJ laid her head over on Matt's chest. He nodded. "And he wanted me to tell you he loves you, too." Matt nodded once again, took another swig out of the beer and watched the waves crash onto the shore.

**CHAPTER 10**

Three days later, after helping Vince and Will complete the installation of the system in Ft. Lauderdale, Matt had to attend a hearing where the judge ruled that the deaths of both Manny and Carlos Montoya were self-defense. It turned out that Carlos Montoya had in fact been using information that he got from his friend Lt. Atkins to help out the drug smuggling operations of the Ericsons. Manny Montoya was a mid-level dealer for the Ericsons and had a side business with Kim Burch stealing money, credit cards, and social security numbers from many of her johns.

As he left the courtroom with Vince, Will, and CJ, Matt's phone rang. "Hi Sheila, what's going on? Hang on a minute; she's right here with me." He put the phone on speaker. "Okay, we're both here."

"I wanted to let you know that Miss Catey Rose said her first word today." The excitement showed in the nurse's voice.

"She did? What did she say?" CJ and Matt were both smiling and looked at each other.

"Well, I was playing a DVD of the two of you riding Cricket, and it was just the sweetest thing."

"So she said "daddy", is that it?" CJ wasn't surprised at all. Catey Rose was absolutely smitten by her dad.

"No."

"She said "mama"?" Matt was grinning.

"No."

"Well what did she say?" The proud parents were confused.

"Cricket." The nurse burst into laughter as did the four adults on the other end, Matt so much he was almost in tears.

"Well hell, I guess I know where I stand!" He dissolved into laughter again.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

As he piloted the jet into the air, Matt thought back on the few details that Uncle Roy had been able to give him about the arrest of his cousin Will. They had been in Ft. Lauderdale for two days getting ready to install the security system for the new store there but were having to wait for some work to be done on the store before they could get in to do their part. Will had met a lady at a night club and had gone home with her. Matt was a little surprised: Will didn't ordinarily do that. Back in his younger days, Matt had a reputation of having a different woman every week, sometimes more than that in one week, but not Will.

Matt and Will had served together in the Army for a couple of years before Will was captured and held prisoner by some extremists in Afghanistan. After a long search and a dangerous mission, Matt had found his cousin and freed him from his captors. He was worried about what being held in jail in Florida would do to the man. He had needed a lot of therapy when he got back to the states to help him get past his incarceration by the terrorists.

CJ watched her husband and was pretty sure of what was going through his mind. Matt and Will had depended on each other during their time in the service and were just as close as brothers. She, like Matt, knew that Will would never have committed the murder that he was being accused of. "Are you okay, hon?"

Houston nodded. "Yeah…just worried about Will."

"We'll get it straightened out. I put in a call to a lawyer that I graduated with at Harvard. He's good, Matt."

He reached across and took her hand. "Guess it's a good thing that Sheila came to work for us when she did." Their nanny, Sheila Wentworth, had been a nurse who had taken care of Matt on several occasions at the hospital as well as being his private nurse at the ranch after he had been injured in a bomb blast. Her husband had returned home from serving with the Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, only to be killed by a firebomb at their home. Matt had tracked down the men responsible and they were currently in jail awaiting trial. That had been a couple of weeks earlier. After Sheila was laid off by the hospital, Matt had immediately asked her to be their nanny.

The six hour flight passed too slowly for Matt who was seriously worried about his cousin. They were met at the airport by Vince Novelli who was driving the van that belonged to Houston Investigations and was being used by the men for their installation jobs. The former LAPD detective gave CJ a hug as she stepped off of the jet and helped Matt with the luggage.

The worry Matt felt was shown on his face. Vince had seen the man upset before, but it was obvious to anyone who saw him this time, which was unusual for Houston. He had always teased the private investigator about his poker face.

"How's he holdin' up, Vince?" Matt climbed into the front passenger seat of the van. He wasn't overly familiar with the Ft. Lauderdale area.

"About as well as you could expect. He was sure upset when he called Roy this morning." He drove the four and a half miles from the airport to the police department where Will Houston was being held.

"Have they set a bail hearing yet?" Matt was determined get Will out of jail as quickly as possible.

"Not yet, but the lawyer showed up about an hour after Roy called you, so he's not alone." He knew exactly why Matt was so worried, since he himself had helped to rescue the man from the Afghan prison where he was being held prisoner.

The three walked into the police station and were directed to have a seat. The sergeant behind the desk had a bit of an attitude and CJ knew that her husband was about to make a comment so she took him by the arm and took him over to a row of benches that were against the western wall of the lobby. After a twenty minute wait, a detective came downstairs and talked to the sergeant for a minute and was pointed in the direction of the three, who stood as he walked over to them.

"Mr. Houston? I'm Det. Carl Horton." He held out his hand and Matt shook it before introducing his wife and Vince.

"Would it be possible for us to see Will?" The detective started to shake his head no. "Has my uncle spoken to you about Will being held prisoner in Afghanistan?"

The policeman looked surprised. "No, he didn't. What happened exactly?" Matt filled him in. "Oh, well…" He looked around. "They would prefer that there weren't too many visitors. I don't know if you've had much experience…"

Vince chuckled and received a startled look from the man. "Sorry. I was a detective with the LAPD. This guy here acts as a consultant to the department – he's a private investigator. And so is she." He nodded toward the Houston's.

"You can contact Lt. Hoyt at the LAPD if you need to confirm it, but here's my license." Matt pulled his private investigator's license out of his wallet and showed it to the man, as well as his ID that had been issued to him by the department, that listed him as a consultant. That did the trick.

"Alright, if you'll give me a few minutes to run it by the lieutenant in charge I'll get right back to you. Please have a seat." Matt took back the ID's and sat back down with CJ and Vince.

When the detective had headed back upstairs, Vince leaned forward and looked around CJ. "When in the hell did they give you an ID?" He was surprised.

"A few months back – after I pointed out how lax the security around there was. It was the chief's idea."

"Maybe you should have dropped his name instead of Hoyt's." Vince grinned at his friend.

"I'm saving that for later if I need it." Matt winked at him.

Less than fifteen minutes later, Det. Horton came back down. "He says you can come up for a short visit, Mr. Houston. And you two as well." He led them to the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor and looked at Houston. "The lieutenant spoke with Lt. Hoyt. He more than vouched for you – and also told us to call the chief if we had any other concerns." He smiled. "Lt. Montoya is – well, let's just say he's not the friendliest person in the world. Just be careful." Matt gave him a questioning look. "He had the phone on speaker and I heard some of the conversation." The detective chuckled. "Sounds like things get kinda wild out in LA."

"Yeah, they do." Matt grinned. The elevator stopped and they stepped off and were directed to one of the interrogation rooms. The moment they stepped inside, a look of relief came over Will's face. Matt walked over and gave his cousin a hug. "What's the big idea, Cuz? I'm usually the one getting in trouble, not you."

Will shook his head. "I didn't do it, Matt. I don't even remember going home with her."

The lawyer stood up and shook CJ's hand. "It's good to see you again, CJ."

Matt's wife introduced them. "This is George Carlini; George, this is my husband Matt and our friend Vince Novelli." They all shook hands.

Roy stepped over and patted Matt on the back. "I'm sure glad to see you, boy."

Matt patted his uncle on the shoulder. "We're going to get to the bottom of this; don't worry." He and CJ sat down at the table and he pulled out a notebook. "Okay, Will – start to finish. Tell me everything."

"Well, I went to a club last night. Figured since we weren't going to be working today, I would go out and have a good time. So I asked the cab driver where I should go and he took me to "Club Moonlight". After a couple of hours, this girl came up to me at the bar and we started talking, then hit the dance floor, and then found a table so we could talk a little more. That's the last thing I remember until about noon." He looked shaken and took a deep breath before continuing. "I woke up and didn't have a clue where in the heck I was. When I looked down there was blood all over my hands. Of course I freaked out. I got up and started walking around and there she was – on the other side of the couch lying in a puddle of blood." He covered his eyes with his hands. Matt noticed they were shaking and looked at CJ.

"Does this sound kind of familiar?" He was referring to an incident with the CEO of Houston Industries, Murray Chase, the year before.

"Yes it does. Detective, has a drug test been done on Mr. Houston?" CJ looked at Horton.

"Yes ma'am, that was one of the first things that we did when he was brought in."

Carlini nodded. "I also had a private lab give him another test. Will, your bond hearing will be at 9:00am."

"Is there any way we can have bail set tonight?" Matt didn't want his cousin spending any more time than absolutely necessary behind bars.

The lawyer shook his head no. "I tried, but I can't get him in until tomorrow."

"How much do you think it will be?" Matt could afford whatever it was but needed to know.

"I have no idea. Since he has no ties to the area, that will probably go against him. But he's never been in trouble before, so that fact might well off-set it. Plus a lot of it depends on the judge."

Matt looked over at Will. "I'll be okay, Matt." He knew what was going through Matt's mind.

"Okay, we'll get you out of here ASAP." He stood up and walked around to his cousin who was shackled and handcuffed to the table and gave him a hug, whispering something in his ear. Will nodded at him.

Roy walked over to his son and hugged him as well. "You stay out of trouble, boy."

"I will, Dad."

Matt turned to Det. Horton and held out his hand. "Thanks for your help, Detective. I really appreciate it." They shook and Horton led the four out of the interrogation room and to the elevator. No one spoke on the ride down in the elevator.

Outside the building, the lawyer stopped as he pulled his keys from his pocket. "CJ, I'll be here as soon as they'll let me in."

"I really appreciate your help, George. It's good to see you again – I just wish it wasn't for this reason."

They went their separate ways and Matt looked at his watch. It was after 9:00pm local time. "We need to find a hotel room, CJ."

"I've already done that for you." Vince opened the driver's door of the van. "I got you a room on the floor above us." They all climbed into the van. "Don't you two make too much noise up there tonight." He winked at Matt.

"I could sure go for some dinner about now. How about you, Uncle Roy?" CJ leaned her head on the man's shoulder.

"I guess so." He sounded less than enthusiastic.

"It'll be okay." She patted Roy's hand.

"I hope so, CJ." Roy Houston looked out the window of the van as they went back to the hotel.

"How about I order us some pizzas, will that work for y'all?" Matt grabbed the luggage out of the van along with Vince when they arrived and they headed on into the hotel for the night. While they were waiting for the pizzas down in the suite that Roy, Will, and Vince had been sharing Matt pulled out his phone and called the ranch. Sheila picked up on the first ring. "Hi there. How are you girls doing?"

"We're just fine and having a good time. She just finished up a jar of green beans and bananas. Want to talk to her?" Sheila had been having a lot of fun taking care of Catey Rose. She was an easy child – hardly ever fussy unless she was teething.

"Sure – if she has time." Matt's eyes lit up when Sheila held the phone up to his daughter's face and she began babbling at him. "Hey there, Lady Bug. Are you taking good care of Sheila?" He hit the speaker button as Catey began babbling again. "I guess that's a yes."

"Hey sweetie pie. Can you be a good girl till Mama gets back home?" Although she hadn't said anything all day about it, CJ had missed her daughter terribly. Catey babbled some more and then it got quiet.

"She decided that it's time to play ball with her teddy bear." Sheila was laughing. "We're fine here. Don't worry about us. How are things there?"

"Not moving fast enough to suit me. We're going to try to get him out on bail in the morning. Call me if y'all need anything, okay?" Houston missed Catey just as much as CJ did but knew that the others would rib him for it if he said anything.

"We'll be just fine. I took her down to see Cricket earlier. We didn't go for a ride but they had a nice little chat anyway. You two be careful down there."

"Alright darlin' we'll talk to you tomorrow. 'Bye." Matt hung up and looked at his phone for a minute afterward: the wallpaper on it was of Catey and her favorite teddy bear.

Vince grinned. "So how do you like having Sheila around 24/7?"

"I like it just fine. She and Catey are crazy about each other and I know she can be trusted without a doubt." Matt put his phone back into his shirt pocket and leaned back, putting an arm around CJ.

"You miss her, too, huh?" She looked at her husband.

"Yep, little stinker that she is." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

No one spoke for a minute. "Vince, how would you feel about going to "Club Moonlight" tonight?" Matt looked across at his friend.

"I was hoping you would say that. This whole thing has pissed me off." Vince hadn't known Will too well before they had started working together, but all of the time they had spent together since starting on the job had been great. He now had a new friend.

"Good. I was hoping you would say that."


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

An hour later the two men took the van to the club that was about two miles from the hotel. On the ride over, Vince glanced over at Matt. "You know your cousin has been telling me all kinds of things about you."

"He has?" Matt grinned and cocked his head at his best friend.

"Uh huh, like some of the mischief you two used to get into. Like the double date at the drive in with that pair of twins?" He started laughing.

"Oh boy. What exactly did he tell you?" Matt remembered the event well and was hoping that Will hadn't told Vince everything that happened.

"He told me the whole thing. Their dad was a deputy…you and your date got caught in a rather compromising position…by none other than her dad…all the details." Vince was doing his best not to run off the road he was laughing so hard.

"Hmm…guess I'm going to have to have a talk with the man tomorrow." Matt was grinning himself, then cracked up. "Although I didn't think so when it was happening, that really was a good time."

"Dude, her dad was a deputy and you knew he earned extra cash working security there…" The former cop was laughing as he pulled into the parking lot of the club.

"What can I say, Vince; youth and…well, horniness won out over smarts." He got out of the van laughing.

As they headed around to the front of the building the pounding of the music inside the club was vibrating the sidewalk under their feet. "You know we're going to have a tough time questioning anybody in here – we won't be able to hear 'em." Vince cut his eyes over at Matt. The cowboy didn't say anything. "You know?"

"Huh?" Matt's expression was dead-pan and it took Vince a minute to figure out that the PI was playing him.

They walked through the front door and the sound was incredible. Exchanging a grimace, they walked on in and up to the bar ordering a couple of beers. When their drinks arrived, Matt leaned back against the bar and looked around. At one time, not too long ago, he might have enjoyed the place. Nowadays he was happier at the ranch in the peace and quiet of the hills. Leaning over to holler in Vince's ear, he said, "I think we should start with the bartender." When the heavy-set man worked his way back down in front of the two, Matt leaned forward. "Hey Pard – I've got a question for you. Did you see this guy in here last night?" He showed a picture of Will that was on his cell phone.

"Nope." The man continued to dry glasses.

"Are you sure? Here, take another look." Matt held the phone out a little closer.

"Nope."

"How can you be so sure?" Vince leaned in closer.

"Because I didn't work last night, that's how." He scowled at the pair.

"Guess you are certain. Do you know who worked last night?" Houston raised his voice just slightly as, unbelievably, the music got louder.

"Yep." The man picked up another glass. The private eye and his friend looked at each other and Matt pulled a twenty out of his pocket and slid it across the bar. "Manny."

"Is he here tonight?" As Matt waited for an answer the bartender picked up another glass and began drying it as he stared at the PI, who pulled another twenty out of his pocket and slid it across. The bartender didn't answer. "Well?"

"Nope." Grinning, the large man walked back down to the other end of the bar as Matt shot him a dirty look and said something under his breath.

"What?" Vince couldn't hear him.

"Never mind – it might corrupt you. Let's see if we can get some information from the waitresses." They walked over to a table and had a seat. There was an almost quiet moment as the music ended. Matt knocked back the rest of his beer and motioned for the waitress. Leaning forward, he spoke to Vince. "Don't drink anything else. You're the designated driver tonight."

"Well hell you shoulda told me that before I ordered the beer." Vince set the bottle down on the table as the waitress approached Matt smiling until she saw the wedding ring on his finger.

"Hey there, did you work here last night?" Matt was practically having to yell to be heard.

"Yeah, I did. Why?" She looked a little leery of the two.

"Did you happen to see this guy in here?" He held out the phone and the picture of Will.

"Yeah, he sat at this very table in fact. Kinda weird, huh?" She smiled at him. "Why?"

"Well he's my cousin and he's in a little bit of trouble. Do you remember the girl that he was with?"

"Yeah, she comes in here all the time." She looked out on the dance floor. "I don't see her tonight, though."

"Do you know anything about her?" Matt was fast getting tired of yelling.

"Well yeah, she uh…well, she's a hooker. I was kind of surprised that your cousin was with her…he was cute enough not to have to pay for it."

"Oh, well, uh… does she work for herself or has she got a pimp?" He really hoped there wasn't a pimp, but if there was it might actually help them.

"She's definitely got a pimp. As a matter of fact, do you see the guy out there in the purple shirt?" She pointed out on the dance floor. After a minute, Matt finally spotted the man.

"Yeah, is that him?"

"Uh huh. But you better be careful – he's mean." She gave the PI a look of warning.

"Do you know what his name is?"

"Everybody calls him Preacher."

Matt reached down in his pocket and took out a hundred dollar bill and one of his cards. "I appreciate the help. If you happen to think of anything else I would appreciate it if you would give me a call. And would it be possible for me to get your number – just in case?"

"Wow! Thanks! I will." She tucked the tip into her fully stuffed top, jotted down her name and number on a cocktail napkin, and smiled at Matt over her shoulder as she headed back toward the bar.

"Did she just say that his name is Preacher?" Vince was leaning across the table again so that his friend could hear him.

"Yup." Matt nodded and kept an eye on the man that the waitress had pointed out. After the song that was playing ended he left the dance floor and headed toward the back of the club. Matt and Vince exchanged a look and headed that way as well. When they got past the crowd moving on and off of the dance floor as another song started, they could see that the pimp was headed for the restroom. They picked up the pace and went in the door and looked around. The man was standing at one of the urinals. Houston rolled his eyes at Vince, then went over to the sink and washed his hands. When the pimp finished and started by, Matt turned. "Hey, could I talk to you for a minute?"

The pimp stopped and looked Matt up and down, stopping to look at the cowboy boots that were on the man's feet. "What?"

"I need to ask you a couple of questions. My cousin…" He held out the phone again, showing the picture of Will. "He was in here last night and I understand that he was with one of your girls. Could you tell me anything about her?" Just as he got the last word out of his mouth the pimp took a swing at him. Quickly ducking, Matt punched him in the stomach, knocking him back towards one of the stalls. The force of the man hitting the door knocked it open, much to the regret of the man who happened to be inside with his pants down around his ankles. As the pimp scrambled up off of the man's lap, he pulled a switchblade out of the pocket of his pants. "I just need to ask a couple of questions – that's all."

Apparently Preacher the Pimp didn't like questions and he growled as he started back across the room toward the PI. As he took a swing at Matt with the knife in his right hand, the cowboy executed a lightning-fast crescent kick and easily knocked the weapon out of his hand, then speared him with his right shoulder and pushed him back into another stall that luckily was not occupied.

"Look, it's just a couple of questions." The pimp tried to swing at Matt, who was considerably quicker. He ducked and hit the man square in the jaw, stunning him long enough for Matt to spin him around and twist his right arm behind his back gripping the last three fingers on his hand and giving them a tweak. The pimp hollered out in pain as the PI raised the arm up toward his shoulder blade, causing him to bend over, his face just inches above the bowl of the toilet.

"I don't know how often they clean in here, Bud, but I sure wouldn't want my face to be where yours is right now. If you don't give me some answers you're going to get to do an up close inspection of the john, you understand me?"

"Yeah…what do you wanna know?" The man was breathing heavily.

"Tell me about the girl…I know you know that she's dead otherwise you wouldn't have caused all this trouble." Matt's voice was calm and even, like he was having a civil conversation over a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, she picked the guy up last night in here. So what? From what I heard on TV he offed her."

"No he didn't, but he's been accused of it. Now: who did it?" When the man didn't answer immediately, Matt gave the fingers a little more twist.

"I don't know! Please!"

"Who do you know who might have wanted her dead?" Matt backed off the fingers slightly.

"I don't know…her boyfriend maybe?"

"What's his name?"

"I don't know….no! Stop, man you're gonna break my whole damn arm!"

Matt twisted the fingers and the arm even further. "Answer me now, or it's gonna get snapped."

"Roger. Roger Michelson. That's all I know, man!"

"Where does he live?"

"They were shacked up together at her place – now let me go!" The pimp was near tears.

"If I find out you know something else I'll be back and that arm won't be the only thing broken. Do you understand?" The pimp nodded. "Okay, you're going to stay right here for the next five minutes, and then you will walk out of here like nothing ever happened. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Matt turned the man loose and walked toward the door of the bathroom with Vince two steps in front of him. They went straight to the front door and out to the van. "Let's get out of here quick, Vince." Matt climbed into the passenger seat as his friend cranked the engine and dropped it into gear.

"Not bad, Ace. You've still got a move or two left in you." Vince was grinning as they took off down the street toward the hotel.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

"So Preacher the Pimp thinks maybe the boyfriend, Roger Michelson, did it." Matt was sitting on the couch once again with CJ. "Want to see if you can find anything on him?"

She opened up the laptop and started searching. "Okay, Roger Allen Michelson, age 26, blonde and blue." Continuing to work the keyboard, CJ switched to another database. "Alright according to the Sun Sentinel, Michelson has been busted three times: once for DUI, twice for possession. Did a short stretch for the DUI and one of the possession charges and…hmm, this is interesting. He got popped several months ago for domestic abuse on none other than Kim Burch, our dead hooker. But it looks like she dropped the charges." She looked around a little more on Michelson but didn't hit on anything else. "Alright, let's switch gears here and look into Kim Burch. She's been up on solicitation charges…dang! Nine times. She's done time twice, the first time was ninety days, the second time was six months. Nothing else on her."

Matt absently scratched his moustache with the back of his thumb. "So what Preacher said could be right on the money." He stood up and walked over to the sliding door to the balcony overlooking the Atlantic. "Do we have any idea where Michelson works?"

CJ worked the keyboard some more. "Aha! When he was busted for possession he was working for Castaway Beach Charters. They do parasailing, boat rentals, jet skis, fishing trips, and snorkel tours. And…how convenient, they're three blocks from here, south on the dockside."

Matt stepped out on the balcony and looked to the south. "Okay, guess I know where I'm going in the morning." Coming back in he looked over at his uncle. "He's going to be okay, Uncle Roy."

"I hope so, Matt. He's been through too much already in his life." Roy Houston had spent quite a few years working for the CIA. In that time, he had become a master at concealing his emotions, but that didn't extend to his son. He had gone so many years thinking that Will was dead, then Matt found him alive and brought the two back together. "I can't lose him again." There was no mistaking the emotion in the man's voice.

CJ got up and went to him, putting her arms around him, and then kissing his cheek. "We're going to get him out in the morning. We'll get it straightened out."

A short time later, Matt and CJ headed up to their room for the night, but before they left, Matt asked Vince to come out onto the balcony with him for a minute. He closed the door behind them and leaned on the decorative wrought iron railing. "Vince, would you do me a favor?"

"Anything." Vince was leaning against the wall of the hotel.

"Keep a close eye on him tonight. I'm worried about him." He turned to face his best friend. "He's been wound up pretty tight over this whole security system deal – he worked hard to get it and he's been working hard to see it through. Uncle Roy isn't a spring chicken."

"I will, Matt. I had already decided that."

"Okay." He started in then stopped. "Tell you what: I'm going to take CJ up and get her settled in for the night and then I'm coming back down here. I've just got a bad feeling that I can't shake. Keep your phone on vibrate and I'll call you when I head down so you can open the door."

"I'll do it." They headed back in and Matt and CJ headed upstairs. As they rode up in the elevator, she squeezed his hand. "You're going back down there, aren't you?"

Matt nodded. "I don't like the way he's looking, CJ." They got off of the elevator and went into their room, then Matt checked to make sure everything there was secure. As he got ready to go back down, he pulled CJ to him and kissed her, then wrapped his arms around her and stood there hugging her for a minute.

"It's going to be okay, Matt." She could read him like a book.

"Yeah, I know." He kissed her cheek again and headed for the door. "Love you, Babe."

"Love you. Call me if you need me."

"I will." He quietly left and pulled out his phone, dialing Vince. "I'm on the way."

"Okay, I'll be ready." Vince hung up and looked over at Roy, who was standing looking out of the balcony doors. Matt was back at the room in less than two minutes. He lightly tapped on the door and Vince opened it. "He's just been standing there looking out."

Matt went over to his uncle. "Hey." Roy turned - a look of surprise on his face.

"I thought you went upstairs."

"I did and now I'm back." He put a hand on his uncle's shoulder. "You need to get some sleep." Steering the man toward the bed, Matt looked over at him. Roy was in his seventies but usually came across as younger but that night he looked older.

"I don't think…"

His nephew stopped him. "Yes you can and yes you will. Get ready for bed, Uncle Roy." Matt's demeanor said that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Roy stood looking at him for a minute and then sat down on the edge of the bed and began to undress. Matt walked back toward the doorway and began talking to Vince in a quiet voice, while still keeping an eye on his uncle. Roy went into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later and climbed into the bed. Matt stuck his head back in the door. "'Night."

"Good night, Matt. And thanks." The older man turned over on his side and within a few minutes was sleeping soundly.

Matt went in quietly to check on him and, satisfied that he was resting, went back out to the living room of the suite and sat down on the couch next to Vince. "CJ and I were talking a few weeks back – he needs to take a vacation when these installation jobs are over."

The former cop nodded. "He's a tough old man, but I've noticed the last couple of weeks he's…I don't know, there's just something different about him. Will has noticed it, too." They were both quiet for a minute. "You know, Mama is absolutely crazy about him."

"It's mutual." They smiled and looked at each other. "We might end up being cousins, you never know."

"Nah." Vince sat there for a minute. "Hell, we're already brothers. Why make the family tree any more complicated?" Both men chuckled.

"Well, I wasn't going to tell you this, but considering everything that's going on and knowing how you feel…" Matt grinned and looked over at his best friend. "What would you think about spending Thanksgiving at the ranch in Texas – with the whole Novelli clan?"

"Seriously?" Vince was amazed.

"Yep, I called Mama and Isabella earlier when we were on the way down here and asked if they would be able to get away for a few days and they jumped on it. I think they might miss you – just a little bit." He smiled at the look on Vince's face.

"Phew! Thanks a lot. I was trying to figure out if I would be able to fly there for a day or two but given how busy the airlines are…thanks, Ace – I really do appreciate it."

Houston motioned toward the bedroom. "Uncle Roy told me this morning how homesick you were."

"I…well I haven't said a word."

"You didn't have to, bud. It's really obvious."

"It is, huh?"

Houston nodded and got quiet, staring out into the dark night. He sure missed Catey Rose. It was the first time he and CJ had both been away from her for any length of time.

"She's alright you know – Sheila won't let anything happen to her." Vince could tell what his friend was thinking.

Matt chuckled. "Obvious, huh?" Vince nodded and grinned. "Well I can't help it – I miss the little booger." They got quiet for a while and could hear Roy buzzing away in the other room. Toeing off his boots, the PI propped his feet up on the coffee table and settled back into the couch.

Waking up a little after 3:00am, Matt tiptoed to the door of Roy's room and could hear him snoring slightly. After getting a drink, he settled back in on the couch where Vince was conked out on the other end. He woke up again at 5:30 and found Roy already dressed and drinking a cup of coffee out on the balcony.

Stretching and yawning, Matt stepped out to join his uncle. "Mornin', Uncle Roy."

"You two were performing a regular chorus in there with your snoring." Roy cocked his head and looked at his nephew.

"Sorry." Matt sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You didn't have to stay, you know." The older Houston looked out over the ocean.

"Well CJ was worried about you." The PI looked down and to the left as he lied.

"Bull – you were worried." Roy grinned at the man.

"She was, too." Matt smiled. "Look, I want you to do something for me. After you get these installation jobs done, I want you to take a vacation."

"Good. Because I want to. As a matter of fact, I believe a trip to Hawaii might be in order." He had surprised his nephew with that one.

"Good." They continued to sit and drink coffee until there was a knock on the door. Matt went to open it and found his wife standing there.

"Mornin', Babe." He gave her a kiss after closing the door behind her. "Want some coffee?" They stepped out onto the balcony and CJ walked over to Roy, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning, my handsome uncle." She sat down between the two men and took a sip from the cup of coffee that her husband had poured for her.

"And how is my beautiful niece this morning?" Roy reached over and patted her hand.

"Just fine." CJ cocked her head to look at her husband. "So what's our first order of business?"

"Well, I want you to go meet up with your friend George and take care of the bail. Uncle Roy, I think you should go as well. Vince and I will go to Castaway Charters and see what we can find out about Michelson. And sometime today I want to go look at the crime scene. I'll probably have to get with Det. Horton in order to do that." He stood up and stretched, then leaned over and kissed his wife. "But the first thing I'm going to do is grab a shower. I'll see y'all in a little bit."


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"Mr. Ericson, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to us." Matt and Vince had just met the owner of Castaway Charters and were currently sitting down with the man having coffee on the fly deck of a one hundred and thirty foot yacht. Vince thought that it slightly resembled a destroyer.

"I'm happy to help you any way I can…" He shifted in the cushioned booth. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you a lot about Michelson. My brother Shane normally runs the day-to-day operations and I focus on funding and…well, in a casino they are referred to as whales. I'm sure you understand." He gave the two detectives a well-practiced smile. Matt thought it was reminiscent of a used car salesman.

"At this point anything you can tell us about him would be helpful." Matt didn't know why, but the little voice in his head was screaming at him that somehow Ericson was involved in the deal.

"Well, let's see; I know he was in trouble over drugs one time and that he had gotten busted on a DUI or some such. And there was also a domestic violence incident." He took another sip of coffee. "When Michelson was here and sober, he was a great asset to the company."

"In what way?" Matt took a sip of the coffee and propped his left ankle on his right knee and leaned back in the chair.

"Let's just say he had a way with the ladies. Often times we get asked to babysit someone's wife or girlfriend while the man is conducting business. He was also a good scuba guide." The greasy smile let Matt know that Michelson did more than give diving lessons.

"Uh huh. Anything else?" Ericson was a complete waste of time in Matt's opinion.

"No, that's pretty much it. Like I say, my brother had more contact with him, but he's out of town right now."

"And when will he be back?" Vince Novelli's old cop instincts were screaming loudly at him. Something just wasn't right here.

"Oh, it will probably be a month or better. He's out of the country."

"Thanks again, Mr. Ericson." Matt put down the cup of coffee and stood up with Vince following right behind. Once they set foot back down on the dock and started back to Matt's rental, they exchanged a glance. After they were out of earshot, Matt shook his head. "I've cleaned out a lot of barns in my time but I believe there was more crap on that boat than in any barn I've ever been in." He slid behind the wheel of the Expedition that he had rented that morning. "Let's put a little distance between us and Slick there before we pull out the laptop." He went up North Atlantic Boulevard about a mile before pulling over to the curb and putting the SUV in park. Vince pulled out the laptop and handed it to him. "Alright let's see what we can find out about the Ericson brothers." He started with the man they had just spoken with, Charles Ericson. "No wonder he was using a casino term. Up until two years ago he managed a casino in Vegas – the Sure Deal. Why does that sound familiar?" After another bit of working the keyboard he nodded his head. "That's why. It was one that was a front for the mob. They got shut down. I wonder how come he isn't in prison?"

"Maybe his "friends" helped him out?" Vince looked out over the ocean and thought about his family. He and the boys spent a good deal of time on the beach out behind their house.

"You know it's kinda looking like that. Listen to this: "Casino Manager Charles Ericson was found to have been an unknowing accomplice to the money laundering scheme which closed the doors of the casino."" Matt shook his head. "How could he not have known about something like that if he was the manager?"

"Unless he didn't come to work until noon and spent the time between noon and midnight swigging martinis he had to have known. What about the brother? It seems awfully convenient that he's out of the country for an extended stay."

"Yep, that's what I thought, too. Shane Ericson…" Matt gave a chuckle. "Looks like little brother has been popped for running drugs." He stopped for a minute and looked up at Vince. "You know, running a charter company like this would be a perfect cover for bringing drugs into the country."

"Uh huh, somehow I don't think the fishing trips and parasailing profits bought that yacht – or the other three that were tied up there. These guys are into something up to their ears." Vince had missed being a detective and was more than happy to try to find the dirt on the Ericsons.

Matt looked at his watch. It was after 9:00am and he hadn't heard anything from CJ or Roy about Will making bail. He decided to go talk to Det. Horton and see if he could get into the crime scene and talk to the man about the Ericsons. "Let's go see Horton." He closed the laptop and handed it back to Vince who put it back in the case as Matt dropped the SUV in gear and slid away from the curb headed toward the police department.

"I'm willing to bet you'll have to talk to Lt. Montoya before you go anywhere. That's how I would play it if it was me." Vince looked over at his friend. "Come to think of it, that is how I played it when we first met." He grinned, thinking back on it.

"Yeah, I'll bet you're right." He kept wondering about Will's bail hearing and jumped when his phone rang. "Yeah Babe, whatcha got?"

"He's out. I don't want to say too much right now. Roy and I are taking him back to the hotel. What are you boys doing?"

"We're about to go talk to Horton and try to get in to look at the scene. I'll talk to you when we get back. Love you, Babe." He knew that something was afoot with CJ not wanting to talk to him on the phone; the question was why? Was it because she didn't want Will to hear or someone else?

"Love you, too. Be careful." She hung up and was gone. Matt looked over at Vince.

"Something's up, Houston. She's hardly ever that tight-lipped." Vince knew both of them well enough to know when CJ was being extra cautious.

"Yep." He drove on and arrived at the station a few minutes later, walked up to the front desk and asked for Det. Horton.

"Are you Mr. Houston?" The wise-looking sergeant behind the counter was giving Matt a skeptical look.

"I am." Matt couldn't count the number of times that he had been through situations like this one: dealing with cops who doubted his motives for investigating a case.

The sergeant produced two visitor's passes and instructed the pair to go up to Lt. Montoya's office on the second floor. As they rode up in the elevator they exchanged a glance and Matt cracked up. "What?" Vince wondered what Matt thought was so funny.

"Now you're getting a taste of what I go through all the time." He grinned at his friend as they stepped off of the elevator and the first sound that met their ears was that of an infuriated Lt. Montoya lighting into one of his detectives. "I wonder if this guy has a bottle of antacid in his desk like Hoyt?" Vince just shook his head.

The lieutenant finished his tirade and turned to see Matt and Vince standing there waiting for him. "Uh, well would you look what we have here: a fancy Hollywood private eye and his faithful sidekick. My office –now."

Matt rolled his eyes at Vince and they followed the cop into his office where the door was slammed shut behind them. "So what do you want?" He stomped over and sat down heavily in his chair.

"We'd like to get a look at the scene." Matt was standing with his hands in his pockets.

"Oh sure, we just let every private eye go traipsing through a crime scene. Who in the hell do you think you are?" Montoya leaned forward with his hands on the desktop, looking ready to spring across it at any time.

"I'm a private investigator investigating a case, that's who." He didn't take his eyes off of the lieutenant's and kept his voice even and conversational.

"Well do you have a PI's license for Florida?" The angry cop leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming.

"No, I don't." Matt's tone dropped down a couple of octaves and got Vince's attention. "I don't need to have one – California and Florida have a reciprocity agreement in place." Montoya's face fell. "Now I would appreciate a little cooperation here, Lieutenant - unless you've got something to hide." His voice was very low and very quiet, a fact that unsettled his friend slightly. Novelli looked back and forth between the two men who had yet to break eye contact. Matt had never been a shrinking violet, but Vince could sense a difference in the man. He had always had a confident air about him, but these days there was a definite toughness and touch of danger to him when he got angry.

"Yeah well, we won't just turn you loose in there – you're going to be heavily supervised. I don't care what that lieutenant in LA said. Who's to say you aren't paying him off? I heard you were a millionaire and I did a little checking on you. Rich guy wanting to play private eye, huh? Well, you don't scare me and I won't be bought and paid for – by anyone."

"I hope you investigate the cases in this office better than you investigated me – I'm not a millionaire." Matt's tone was still low and level and he had yet to blink.

"Bull – I know what I read."

"Well then your information was out of date. Maybe while we're looking at the scene you can brush up on your investigating skills." He quietly turned and headed out the office door and walked into the squad room, spotting Horton in the middle of the room. Walking over trailed by Vince, he stuck out his hand to the detective. "Good morning." Vince did a double take: Matt's voice was back to its regular level and tone.

"It is morning, but I'm not sure about the good part. I take it you want to look at the scene and you got past Attila the Lieutenant?" The last was spoken just above a whisper as he shook Matt's hand.

"Yep. Are you able to go?"

"Yep, anything to get out of here for a while." He grabbed his jacket and led the way to the elevator. The sound of someone pounding on a keyboard could be heard from the lieutenant's office. Matt didn't even bother to look that way, but Vince took a glance: Montoya looked like his nose was glued to the monitor. As the doors closed and Horton pushed the button for the lobby he looked over at Matt. "So how bad did he chew you out?"

"Ahhh, not that bad. I've had worse." He looked over at Vince and smiled. The former cop was still somewhat surprised by what had happened. "You alright, Vince?"

"Uh huh – fine." He continued to watch Matt out of the corner of his eye and was extremely grateful that the PI wasn't mad at him.

"So you were with LAPD, is that right?" Horton stepped out of the elevator and spoke to Vince as they turned in the visitor's passes and headed for the parking lot.

"Yep, had in almost fifteen years when I got shot. I'm just glad this guy was with me when it happened." He pointed at Matt with his thumb. "If it hadn't been for him, I don't think I would be here now."

Matt was looking down at his boots. He still carried a lot of guilt about the shooting and what it had done to Vince, no matter what anyone said. The former cop clapped him on the shoulder. He knew what was going through his friend's mind. They had gone over it time after time and the private eye still felt guilty.

"So you live in LA? You don't sound like you're from California." Horton opened the door to the car and unlocked the doors for the other two men.

As Matt got into the front seat he grinned at the detective. "Nope – I was born and raised in Texas."

"Well with a name like Houston that fits I guess." He chuckled as he started the car.

Matt turned the conversation to the murder of Kim Burch. "Vince and I did a little checking on the victim last night."

"So I guess you're aware that she was a hooker?" The cop stopped at a traffic light.

"Uh huh, and I'm also aware that the boyfriend, Roger Michelson has been in trouble for DUI, drugs, and domestic assault. We were trying to find out a little bit more about him this morning but talking to Charles Ericson is about equivalent to mucking out a barn – or several barns."

"Yeah, he's an interesting individual, too." Horton stopped there.

"We both thought that Shane Ericson just happening to be out of the country on an extended trip was really helpful, too." There was no mistaking the sarcasm in Vince's voice.

"He is, huh? I didn't know that. He's been in some drug trouble before himself."

"Vince and I were discussing the fact that running a charter service like the Ericsons have would be a great cover for importing dope." Matt cut his eyes over at the cop.

Horton nodded. "I shouldn't tell you this, but you're not the only one who thinks so – so does the Narco squad."

"I've got a feeling that's why Shane Ericson isn't around right now." Matt looked out the window of the car as they entered the neighborhood where Michelson and Burch had lived. It was an older section of town, not the worst but not the best either. The cop stopped in front of a tan brick house that looked to have been constructed in the early sixties. It was a ranch style home, having seen better days: the paint on the eaves was peeling, the front steps were cracked and looked like they crumbling away, and the roof was showing obvious signs of needing to be replaced.

"Not exactly worthy of the cover of one of those fancy magazines, huh?" Horton pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the front door after pulling on a pair of latex gloves. "I don't need to remind you fellas not to touch anything I'm sure."

"Nope." Matt was pulling on a pair of black leather gloves and Vince rammed his hands down in his pockets. The private eye jerked his head in Vince's direction. "He's going old school on us." All three cracked up and then headed inside. There was a smell in the house, not just of blood, but of cigarette smoke, mustiness, and something that Matt couldn't quite identify.

"Oh goody, this place has mold issues." Vince pulled his shirt up over his nose.

"Had experience with that have you?" Horton had copied Vince's move.

"Yep, I live in Hawaii. It can be a real booger bear." He looked around and noticed a couple of drops of blood that led behind the couch in the living room that they had entered.

"So it looks like the initial contact was made here." Matt had squatted down over a blood stain on the floor. "And it looks like they moved back here…" He stood and carefully followed the stains around to the back of the couch. "What did the ME have to say?"

"Good old blunt force trauma…but we haven't found the weapon yet." Horton pulled a couple of photos out of the folder that he was carrying. "Here's what we've got. The ME says that the first wound was the nose here." The up close picture of the woman's nose looked like it had been flattened by a bus.

"That would take a good bit of force to do that. Wow." Matt moved so that Vince could see.

"But he said the fatal blows were here to the back of the head. He literally bashed her skull in." The detective showed the picture to the other two men. The damage to Burch's skull was so bad that it appeared that the killer had completely knocked away part of the skull.

"Now this is from the blows – not the ME moving things around?" Matt was amazed at the amount of violence that it would have taken to cause such wounds.

"Yep, these were taken before he cracked into her."

Matt looked Horton straight in the eye. "Do you see a problem with accusing Will Houston of the murder?"

"Yes, I do…but Montoya doesn't. He's the one who put the cuffs on him."

"And just what is he supposed to have done with the murder weapon?" Matt didn't want to cause any further problems with the police department, but it was blatantly obvious that Will hadn't been the one to kill Kim Burch.

"Hey, I'm with you on this – I don't think he did it either. I'm on your side, okay?" Horton looked around. "I didn't really get to see the scene too much yesterday – Montoya had me out canvassing the neighborhood."

"Okay, from my point of view we need to find the murder weapon and some prints on it. Did you get anything back on the drug test?" Matt was doing his best to keep his cool but knowing that the charges against his cousin were bogus, he was having a hard time remaining objective. He took a deep breath and exhaled.

"I haven't heard yet. Hopefully we'll know what it was soon. And I can say without a doubt he was on something when I got here yesterday."

"Do you know when the trash pickup is here?" Houston continued to look around the house for the murder weapon.

"No, I don't but we can sure enough find out. It's a city pickup, so…" The cop pulled out his cell phone and punched a few numbers and started walking around the house looking for the weapon that had been used in the murders. When he had his back turned, Matt raised up the end of the couch and Vince looked underneath quickly, shaking his head no, that the blunt object they were looking for wasn't there.

Matt walked around the room, searching a set of shelves for anything that might make the semi-circular wounds on Burch's skull. Coming up empty, he spied a closet under the staircase and walked over carefully opening the door and shining a flashlight inside and not finding anything except the mold that he had been smelling since first coming inside the home. "Oh man, Vince…" He closed the door. "You weren't kidding. I just found the mold." Turning away from the closet, Matt sneezed several times. "Think I'm going to have to change my shirt." Vince grinned at him.

They continued to look for the weapon. Det. Horton hung up his phone. "The trash pickup is tomorrow, but I called the lab to see if anyone had gone through the can here and they already did. Took the whole kit and caboodle to the lab." He looked around and blew out a breath.

Looking around the room, Matt noticed that something just didn't seem right. "You know, it seems to me that there's a lamp missing." He pointed to the end table next to the kitchen door; there was a circle that was free from dust, unlike the rest of the table that was covered in it.

Vince looked to where his friend was pointing and then around the room. "Uh huh." He got down on his knees in front of the table and looked at the extension cord that had evidently been the power supply for the lamp. "And it looks like it was moved in a hurry. Take a look." He motioned to Horton. "See, one of the prongs snapped off in the plug."

"Damn!" He looked at the two men.

Matt walked over to the lamp at the other end of the couch. "This one has a round base – and it looks to be about the right size to cause the wound." He stepped back so that Horton could look. The cop did and pulled his phone out of his pocket and called the lab for a tech to come back out to the scene and collect the evidence. Houston noticed how red his face was and he obviously looked angry. "I think we better go outside, Vince." He started that way and headed on down to the car and leaned against the trunk. Vince followed suit and Horton came back out looking like he was even more upset.

"Are you okay?" Matt was still leaning against the car but turned around and faced the angry-looking detective.

"Yeah, but I swear…" He pulled off the latex gloves and threw them into the car, then took off his jacket and loosened his tie. Looking at Matt and Vince, he put his forearms on the roof of the car and put his head down on his arms. Vince and Matt exchanged a look.

"For somebody who's okay, you sure don't look okay…did the mold get to you?" Matt now had a blazing headache himself and his nose was burning as if he had snorted a whole shaker of black pepper.

"I…" The cop started in, then stopped. He looked over at Vince. "Look, you two seem like good people. And I checked on both of you…you had an outstanding service record with LAPD and you…well, let's say we could use somebody like you around here to help out." He shook his head. "I'm in a bad spot and I don't know what to do."

"Is there something we can do?" Matt stood up straight and pulled the gloves off of his hands.

"I think you already are but you don't know it." Horton turned his back to the car and leaned against the passenger door. "As bad as I hate to think it, I believe the Lieutenant is on the take." He looked at the two men. "After I called the lab Montoya called me and chewed me out for being here looking around. Not a word about what we found that could help the case, but he read me the riot act for letting you guys do more than stick your head in the door. It sounds to me like he's trying to hide something."

"Horton, to be honest with you, that's the impression I got this morning. He popped off about not being bought and paid for by anyone – most cops avoid phrases like that – especially when there are strangers around." He hooked his thumbs in the front pockets of his jeans. "Is there anyone in IA that you can trust?"

Vince snorted and blew out a breath and his friend turned to look at him. "Sorry, Ace, if you'll recall I've been a couple of rounds with IA before."

"I know that Vince, but believe it or not, just like everybody else there are a few good ones – even there." He turned back to Horton. "Have you talked to anyone else about your theory?"

"Not really. Everybody is afraid to say anything." He blew out a breath. "See, we're in the middle of a budget mess down here – hell, I think the whole world is in a budget mess…but we've already been threatened with losing people. The department as a whole is stretched so thin it almost won't cover. Homicide isn't any exception. But I have overheard a few snippets of conversations in the elevator and the locker room. I think some of the others are beginning to wonder, too."

"Okay, other than what we already talked about here, what else have you got on him?" Matt leaned back against the rear passenger door and looked up at the sky. Storms were predicted for the afternoon.

"Well, he's been divorced twice, has three kids all total, and has always griped about the amount of child support and alimony he had to pay. But he showed up about a month ago with a brand new car – a brand spanking new Camaro. We're talking a good fifty g's here. If he's so strapped by the payments to the exes and the kids, how could he possibly afford one of those?"

"That does sound likely. Have you got anything else?"

"No, not really. But it seems like…" He stopped and sighed. "This is not the first time the Ericsons have popped up on our radar. That's why I already knew who you were talking about when you mentioned them earlier."

"Yeah, I kind of gathered that. So our feelings about them were legitimate."

"Dead on. I've got a buddy that I went through the academy with who works in Narco. They've been watching them for a couple of years now. Here's something else that makes me wonder about Montoya. My buddy has told me a couple of times that they were getting close on making a case against the Ericsons. Then his boss, Lt. Atkins, gets a visit from Montoya. They used to be partners on the beat. After that visit, their case falls apart." He turned and looked up the street to make sure there wasn't anyone else around. "I think Montoya is passing on information that Atkins talks to him about. I think he's warning the Ericsons."

"Uh huh. What do you think, Vince?"

"I think he's right on the money. I've seen this kind of thing happen before, unfortunately. How well do you trust your friend in Narco?"

"Implicitly." Horton was now facing Vince.

"I'm not much on IA, but…it sounds to me like the two of you need to go talk to somebody there. Better yet, get them to meet you somewhere out of sight."

Horton nodded. He looked back up the street again. "Here's the lab guys. You two might want to keep a low profile." Matt and Vince both nodded and went back to leaning on the trunk of the car. An hour later, Horton and the techs walked back out of the crime scene and they rode back to the station.

"Detective Horton, you'll excuse me if I don't go back up there. I think it's better if I don't." Houston shook hands with the man.

"Mr. Houston, Mr. Novelli, I sure do appreciate your help and advice. And call me Carl, please."

"Good Carl, just call me Houston. And I don't care what you call this guy." Matt punched Vince in the ribs.

"I'm Vince." He shook with the detective.

"Guess I better go face the music." He started for the door when Matt stopped him.

"Hey Carl…" He took a couple of steps toward the cop and handed him one of his cards. "Call the cell number there if you need us, okay?"

"Thanks, I'll call you when I find out something from the lab…and maybe before then if I need to make bail for killing someone." He grinned but the mood was far from jovial.

Matt opened up the door to the Expedition and got behind the wheel as Vince slid in the passenger side. As he started the engine and dropped the SUV into gear he looked at his friend. "I believe our new friend has a very large problem."

"Yep." Vince looked back over his shoulder. "Bet he's getting his butt chewed seven ways from Sunday right now, too."

"Yep." They were quiet on the ride back to the hotel and on the way up to the suite.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Vince opened the door with his keycard and they walked in to find CJ, Roy, and Will sitting in the living room, none of them looking very happy. Matt walked over to sit down by his wife and gave her a peck on the cheek before putting his arm around her. "So how did it go?"

"Terrible." Will was the first to speak and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and head in his hands.

"It went just fine." CJ laid her head over on Matt's shoulder. "Bail was set at $2 million."

"Two? I was figuring one. Damn!" Matt looked down at his wife. "Not that it matters, because we're going to get it back." He looked over at Roy who was watching Will. "Hey Cuz."

Will raised his head and looked at his cousin.

"Now what about it did you think went so bad?"

Roy's son shrugged his shoulders. "Well for starters the fact that it ever happened in the first place, plus it was $2 million."

"I'm not worried about it so there's no reason for you to worry about it, you hear me?" Matt got up and walked over to the windows and began sneezing again.

"Bless you. Are you trying to come down with a cold?" CJ handed him a box of tissues.

"No, but I did get exposed to a bunch of mold in that house. It's a wonder you're not all stuffed up and sneezing." He looked at Will and CJ could see the gears begin to click. "Were you sneezing yesterday when they took you into custody?"

"No." Will looked up at Matt. "Maybe it doesn't bother me like it does you."

"Or maybe you weren't around it long enough for it to bother you." Matt sat down next to CJ again. "You said you woke up on the couch and saw the blood and looked behind the couch and there was Kim Burch, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So your eyes and nose weren't burning, you weren't sneezing, am I right?"

"No, I was just freaking out over the blood."

"But if you had been there all night and up until you woke up, you would have been having the same problems that I am right now." Matt leaned forward and noticed the doubtful look on his cousin's face. "See Vince here and Det. Horton smelled it the minute they walked inside the house and they put their shirts over their noses. But I didn't realize what would happen and I didn't cover my face. Then I opened up a closet and got a big whiff of it straight from the source and started sneezing. My nose is still burning like I snorted black pepper…and I'm still sneezing. Plus my eyes are burning. But you didn't have any of those symptoms." He got up and started pacing around the living room. "Will, you weren't in there long enough for it to affect you. That's why you didn't have a problem."

There was a glimmer of hope in Will's eyes. "Do you really think so?"

"I do. And here's something else." He filled them in on what they had learned at the crime scene and what they had found as well as their conversation with Horton about Lt. Montoya. "I believe you were a patsy, Cuz."

"It's sure looking that way. Now what do we do?"

"You say you remember being at the bar, seeing the girl, dancing, and then sitting down at one of the tables to have a drink. Then you're blank, right?" Matt blew his nose again.

"Yeah. I keep trying to remember what happened after that, but the last thing I remember is staring down into the glass and looking at the ice cubes…they were kind of… I don't know, they looked blurry and then everything was black. Then I was waking up on the couch…" Will got a strange look on his face.

"What?"

"I remember a voice – a guy's voice. He was talking to the girl, telling her that she was getting too greedy."

"Okay, close your eyes and think back to the drink. The ice cubes look blurry and everything is going black. Now you hear the man talking…what do you notice about his voice?" Matt was leaning forward with his pen and notebook in hand.

"He's not old, but his voice sounds, I dunno, kinda strained, like he's been yelling a lot. And he sounds like he probably smokes. There's kind of a Latin accent."

Vince nodded and he and Matt exchanged a look. "Can you hear anything else? Does he say anything else?" Matt thought he knew who his cousin had heard.

"He tells her she's greedy, and then he says something in Spanish. Something like "mountains of Tonto's"….I remember because it made me think of the Lone Ranger – you know, Tonto?" Will opened his eyes and looked at Matt.

"Did he maybe say "manojo de tontos"?" Matt was fluent in Spanish.

"Yeah, that's it. So it's Spanish?"

"Uh huh, means "bunch of idiots" loosely translated." He looked over at Vince. "I believe we may have some more information for Carl, whatcha think?"

"Yep, I believe so. Will, can you remember anything else? You've really been on a roll here." He grinned at the man that he had worked closely with for the last few months.

"I don't know."

"Close your eyes, just like you did before. Start with the ice cubes…" Matt was writing everything down in the notebook.

After a couple of minutes Will opened his eyes and looked at his cousin. "Before the man said – whatever that was – tontos, there was a lot of bumping around like maybe train tracks? I think there was a good bit of time before the guy was talking though. But I smelled gas and motor oil, and…grass. Maybe it was a lawn mower?"

"So maybe you were put in a garage until they needed you." Matt sat back after writing down everything that Will had said. "What about your buddy George?" He looked over at his wife.

"He's going to come over here about 2:00. He had a hearing to go to, but wanted to come talk to Will some more and get a game plan together." She looked at Will. "I'm interested in what the drug test comes up with. I don't think it was GBH though – you weren't acting like Murray did after he got dosed."

Roy, who had been quiet up until then let out a big sigh. "You okay, Uncle Roy?" Matt couldn't help but be concerned about the man.

"Actually, I'm better now than I have been since all of this mess started. We've come a long way in twenty four hours." He patted his son on the back.

"Dad, I'm sorry about all of this."

"You didn't do anything wrong, son. All you did was go out for a good time and you got shanghaied. That's not your fault."

Matt looked down at his watch and it was 11:00. "I'm going to suggest we get some lunch and then see what else we can come up with – what do y'all think?"

"I'm game. But I think we better just order room service – Will isn't supposed to be doing a lot of traveling and I think he would be safer here." CJ looked up at Matt who nodded as his phone rang.

"Yeah Carl, what have you got?"

"Other than a backside that has been thoroughly chewed out I have a lab report: Quaaludes. That's what he was dosed with – and he's lucky to be alive. The lab guys figure he had about 500mg – almost twice the maximum prescribed dose. Hang on a minute." There was silence on the other end of the line. Everyone in the hotel room was quiet as well, since Matt had put the phone on speaker. He suddenly handed the phone to CJ and ran out onto the balcony, closing the door behind him before he started sneezing again. Vince managed not to snicker, however bad he wanted to, and CJ was holding a pillow in front of her face. After what seemed like an eternity, Horton came back. "Sorry about that, I'm hiding in the bathroom so the lieutenant doesn't hear me." CJ lost it at that point, just as Matt walked back into the suite with a confused look on his face. "Uh, Houston?"

"I'm back. What did I miss?" Matt was thoroughly confused when he took the phone back from CJ who was almost in tears.

"You didn't miss anything – except for the fact he's hiding in the bathroom." Vince was chuckling as were Roy and Will.

"Okay, I feel like I've missed out on something myself. Anyway, that's what we've got so far."

"Alright, we've had a little progress here ourselves. What's your email address? I'll just send it to you that way." Matt jotted down the address, hung up, and pulled out the laptop. CJ had managed to pull herself together. As he waited for his email to open, Matt cut his eyes over at his wife. "Now what in the hell was so funny?"

"I don't know – a combination of you running out onto the balcony sneezing your head off and the thought of Horton hiding in the john to make a phone call. Guess it's just one of those days." She grinned over at Matt who shook his head and began typing the message to Horton.

"I sure didn't know that Harvard-trained lawyers got the giggles." He managed to keep a straight face as he said it, then cut his eyes back over at his wife and grinned as she swatted his thigh. "Think you can quit giggling long enough to get us some lunch?"

After a lunch of steak sandwiches and fries, the group sat around talking, bouncing theories about the case around. Matt was standing looking out over the ocean. "I think we need to do some checking on Montoya." He pulled out the laptop and started looking, stopping occasionally to write down some details. Twenty minutes into his search he started sneezing again.

"Maybe we need to get you some antihistamine, hon." CJ handed him the box of tissues again.

"Nah, I'll be alright. Here's what I've got so far. Lt. Carlos Montoya, age 52, spent most of his life right here in the Ft. Lauderdale area. Both of his parents worked at a local hotel. After high school, Montoya went into the Navy for four years. He got out in 1982 and applied at the police academy here. Graduated…hmm, that's interesting. Montoya didn't have a spectacular record at the academy – kind of surprising considering that he's a lieutenant now. He graduated in the lower third of his class. He spent seven years on patrol before he made sergeant…gees. These folks must be pretty open-minded here. This guy had to take the sergeant's exam three times before he passed it and got promoted. Looks like he spent another seven years on patrol before making detective." Matt stopped and looked over at Vince. "Didn't you tell me you were number three in your class at the academy and were on patrol four years when you took the sergeant's exam?"

The former cop nodded. "Aced it the first time out and was made a sergeant three weeks later. Two months after that I made detective."

"I know not everybody is going to make a perfect score and move up the chain of command as quick as you, but this guy was bottom of the barrel. How in the hell did he get where he is?" Matt let the question hang in the air for a few seconds. "Unless he had the goods on somebody…or a couple of somebodies…"

"He wouldn't have even been considered for detective at the LAPD – I can guarantee you. And he sure as hell wouldn't be a lieutenant." Vince was now firmly convinced that there was indeed something shady about Montoya. "What about the guy in Narco that Horton was telling us about – the one that used to be Montoya's partner on the beat?"

"Lt. Atkins, wasn't it?" Matt started working the keyboard again. "Hmm…no wonder they were such buddies, Atkins record is only slightly better than Montoya's…at least he passed the sergeant's exam on the first try and got bumped up right afterward. Not much else on him other than he made detective four years later and …lieutenant hmmm…four years ago." He went back to Montoya's record. "Montoya was made lieutenant two years ago." He leaned back, propping his left ankle on his right knee, and setting the laptop on his leg. "You know, neither one of these guys strikes me as being on the up and up, but Montoya just screams it."

Vince nodded. Although he hadn't been a cop for almost five years now, it ate at his soul to see a crooked cop. "I think we need to set up a meet with Horton, his friend in Narco, somebody from IA that they think they can trust, and us."

Somewhat surprised, Matt looked across the room at his friend. "I agree, but the problem is this: how do Horton and his friend know who they can trust in IA?" No one spoke for a minute and they all considered the problem.

Roy spoke up. "It isn't going to be easy, Matt…but I think that Montoya and Atkins need to be taken down without IA." He had been pretty quiet throughout the whole ordeal and Matt was relieved to see the man giving his opinion on the matter.

"I wondered when the voice of wisdom would speak up." He nodded at Roy and slowly smiled. "Does the voice of wisdom have a plan?"


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

After George Carlini arrived at 2:00 CJ, Matt, and the others filled him in on what they had learned. "Wow, you folks have really been busy." He was more than slightly shocked.

Matt pulled out his laptop again. "Will, I had almost forgotten what you said about the bumps or railroad tracks." He pulled up Goggle maps and started by finding the bar and then the house that Kim Burch had been renting. "6th Street is probably where you went over the tracks." He spun the computer around and showed his cousin the map.

"Yeah, that would probably be it…it's the most direct route."

"You know, I would like to get another look in that place…especially the garage. I wonder if Horton would be willing to go back – without Montoya's knowledge, of course." Matt pulled out his phone and dialed the police detective and they set up a time to meet.

That afternoon after Carlini left, they fine-tuned Uncle Roy's plan to bust not only Montoya but Atkins as well. After they were finished, Matt sat there thinking.

"Penny for your thoughts." CJ leaned her head on Matt's shoulder.

"Is that all they're worth?" He cocked his head and looked down at her before smiling. "I was just thinking that there might be someone else involved in this deal…like maybe Manny the bartender? We never did any checking on him and I don't have a last name to go with the first."

"You and Vince are supposed to meet Horton at 11:00. What if you went back to the bar and tried to find out some more info on the guy?"

"Hmmm…not really sure that going back in there would be a good idea after what happened with Preacher there." Matt sat and stewed for a couple more minutes and then smiled down at his wife. "I forgot about the waitress that we met there." He started digging around in pockets of his jeans and finally found the napkin that the woman had written her name and number on.

CJ gave Matt the raised eyebrow look. "How original – getting a girl's number on a cocktail napkin."

"She's a witness, Babe – that's all." He looked over at her. "I swear…just ask Vince."

Cracking up, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I know it…I'm just teasing you, Romeo."

Matt dialed the number and the phone was answered by the waitress. "Hi there, this is Matt Houston. I spoke to you last night about my cousin?"

"Yes, I remember."

"I was wondering if you could tell me the last name of the bartender that was working in there that night – I think his name is Manny?"

"Oh sure, it's Montoya."

"Oh, uh, okay then. I appreciate the help. Thanks." He hung up and looked over at Vince. "Manny Montoya."

"That can't possibly be a coincidence, Houston." Vince had stopped in his tracks.

"Nope, I don't think so either. I'm willing to bet he was in on the doping scheme with Kim Burch, too." He pulled out the laptop once again and started looking for the bartender. "Yep, they're brothers. Manny is about four years younger." He continued to look up information on the man. "Hmmm…looks like he tried to follow in big brother's footsteps. Joined the Navy straight out of high school, made it through boot camp and was stationed on a couple of ships…and then spent the rest of his enlistment in the brig. He was busted on illegal gambling and drugs. Ended up with a dishonorable discharge and landed back here in Florida. He's been busted a couple of times for possession and has been in a few fights it looks like. Just your regular fine, upstanding citizen." After searching for a few more minutes he put away the laptop and walked out onto the balcony, followed by CJ.

He was standing there looking out over the ocean when CJ walked out to join him wrapping an arm around his waist. "Are you okay?"

Matt pulled her in close to him and rested his chin on top of her head. "Yeah, just worried about Will. I'm not letting him get put behind bars again…no matter what. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him free."

"It's going to be fine, Matt." He tilted her head up to him and kissed her, neither one of them knowing that at that very moment they had an audience in an SUV parked down on the other side of the street.

"What do you think?" Carlos Montoya watched his brother as he lowered the binoculars.

"I think we have some loose ends to tie up." He put the Escalade into drive and pulled away from the curb.

"If that damn whore hadn't been so greedy…" Carlos started in.

Glowering at his brother, Manny replied, "No, if you hadn't lost that temper of yours we would be just fine right now."

"No, she's the one…that little…" The lieutenant gave a disgusted growl.

Manny pulled the SUV into an empty parking lot, slammed it into park, and with his forefinger poking his brother's chest emphasizing each word, he spoke. "You – screwed – up – again. And this is the last time, _hermano._ Ericson was ready to take you out this morning when that Houston guy showed up on his doorstep, but I talked him out of it. That's the last time, Carlos. You're out of chances. You screw up one more time and I'll take you out myself."

"Just who do you think you're talking to? I'm the one with the badge, I'm the one…"

"I'm the one standing between you and _la siesta de tierra._ That's who I am. Our little enterprise was running along smoothly until you poked your nose into it. No more. You stay out of it – and you stay away from me."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

After a video chat with Sheila and Catey Rose, Matt and CJ were on one of the couches in Roy's suite. He was stretched out with his head in her lap while she rubbed his temples. The mold that he had encountered at Kim Burch's rental house had given the private eye a massive headache and he had taken a couple of allergy capsules and was finally beginning to get a little relief. After twenty minutes or so, Matt dozed off.

Roy and Vince were playing chess on the other couch and after putting Vince's queen in mortal danger, Matt's uncle looked over at the pair. "Is he asleep?"

CJ nodded. "That mold must be some bad stuff."

"Depending on what kind it is, how much a person is exposed to and how sensitive they are to it – it can be deadly. That's one thing we have to be careful about at home." Vince was still pondering on ways to keep Roy from taking his queen but he had a feeling it was a lost cause. "But as long as the house is maintained like it should be and the air conditioner is the right match for the home, it isn't usually a problem." He moved his bishop to block Roy.

"Heh, heh - nice try, kid." The older man swiftly moved his rook and took out Vince's queen.

"You know, I used to like you." Vince gave Roy a grimace and went back to the game, this time moving his one remaining knight into a position to take Roy's king. "Check." He grinned up at the former CIA agent.

"Nope. Checkmate to you." Roy moved his other rook and completely demolished Vince's hopes of a win.

"One of these days, old man, one of these days…" He began putting the pieces to the set back into the storage area.

"You'd hate to be a sore loser." Roy picked up his glass of lemonade and swallowed down the rest of it, looking over at Matt once again. "How is he doing in his classes?"

CJ smiled. "Really well – he aced his mid-term exam. As a matter of fact, Rich told me that he was the only one that did – and he's also the only one that isn't already working as a fire fighter." It was obvious that she was proud of him.

"He can do anything he puts his mind to, that's for sure." Roy got up and stretched and went to check on his son who had decided to go take a nap. He had stayed awake all night at the jail. When he came back, he grinned at CJ. "Out like a light."

Motioning to Matt, Vince said, "He told me about the Thanksgiving plans." He was all smiles.

"We thought that might make you feel a little better – and Isabella and Mama jumped on the opportunity. You know, I think Hoyt and his family may come down as well. Matt's been trying to get him to go hunting."

"Should be good." Vince leaned back on the couch, and after a few moments of silence, stood up and stretched. "I'm going for a walk on the beach."

"Believe I'll join you if that's okay." Roy looked up at Vince.

"Sure, the more the merrier." The pair left and CJ tilted her head back on the couch and started to doze. A few minutes later she heard a beeping sound coming from the door of the hotel suite. "You boys didn't stay for very long." Matt jerked awake and as he started to speak, she shook her head and pointed towards the door – there hadn't been any response to her statement.

Carefully and quietly, Matt got up off of the couch and reached into the back waistband of his jeans, pulling out his Glock and taking off the safety. He motioned for his wife to step into one of the bedrooms and eased up against the wall that divided the living room from the entryway of the suite. About that time a man walked in carrying a large square-ended machete. Matt waited until he got a couple of steps from him and then in a very calm voice ordered him to freeze. Instead, the Hispanic-looking man made a swipe at the private investigator who quickly ducked. Hitting the man in the stomach as the machete's blade buried about five inches into the wall, Matt knocked him backwards, towards the door to the balcony.

Rolling back up to his feet, the man pulled a switchblade from the top of his right boot and attempted to throw it at Matt, who once again ducked and dove toward the man in a flying lunge. By this time, all of the commotion had awakened Will, who came into the living room to help his cousin. The force of Matt hitting the man had driven both of them through the glass of the door and crashing out onto the balcony.

Holding his hands together, the intruder pounded on Matt's back as the private eye tried to regain his balance. Instead, he ended up falling to the floor and rolled as the man pulled yet another knife out of his left boot and started toward his prey. Just as the knife swept down in a deadly arc towards him, Matt rolled onto his back and pulled the trigger on the Glock, hitting the man squarely in the chest and sending him backwards to sprawl over the decorative railing and then fall twenty four floors to the sidewalk below, narrowly missing a family who were about to check in to the hotel.

Matt pulled out his cell phone and found the number for Carl Horton. "Carl, it's Houston. We've got a big problem here at the hotel." He gave a quick explanation of what had happened and Carl headed that way along with a patrol unit and someone from the ME's office.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and as Matt opened it, he not only saw Carl Horton as he had expected along with a CSI tech, but Uncle Roy and Vince coming up the hallway.

"What in the hell happened, Houston? There's some guy lying down in front of the hotel who looks like a splattered enchilada." Vince was concerned, but the look on Roy's face was that of outright fear.

"Are you okay, Matt? What about CJ and Will?" He was looking extremely pale. Reaching for his uncle, Matt guided the man into the room. "We're all fine, Uncle Roy but you need to sit down." He led him to the couch and sat down on the coffee table in front of him. The older Houston was sweating and short of breath. "Carl, I think we need somebody to come check him out."

CJ sat down next to Roy, handing him a glass of water and Will knelt down at his side as the police detective called for an ambulance. "Easy there, Dad. Just take some deep breaths. Calm down, okay?" He took his dad's hand in his own and Matt swallowed a large lump that had formed in his throat as he looked over at his wife.

Roy reached over and grabbed his left arm with his right hand. "Carl, get somebody up here now, please." Matt and Will eased Roy down on the couch and removed his tie and unbuttoned a couple of buttons on his shirt. "Easy, bud. Concentrate on breathing right now, okay?" Matt placed a pillow under Roy's head, and helped him to swallow an aspirin that CJ brought to him before placing a cool, wet washcloth on his forehead that she handed him. By the time the ambulance and paramedics arrived Roy was feeling slightly better but complained of being weak and lightheaded. After starting an IV on him and hooking him up to a heart monitor, he was gently lifted by Will, Matt and the paramedics onto the stretcher.

As they started for the doorway, Matt handed the Glock to Carl. "I know you need to talk to me but right now I need to be with him."

"Why don't you and your wife ride down with me and we can talk on the way." Matt nodded and they loaded onto a second elevator and headed down to the parking lot where Roy was being loaded into an ambulance. Matt could see the fear in his uncle's eyes as he got closer. Will was already waiting in the back of the ambulance for his dad. Walking over to his uncle, Matt squeezed his hand. "We'll be right behind you, okay Pard?" Roy nodded, looking slightly relieved.

As they started out of the parking lot with siren blaring, Matt took Carl through the events that had happened up on the twenty fourth floor of the hotel, from start to finish. "I didn't want to shoot him. We needed to know who he was working for and why he was there."

"Houston - that was Manny Montoya – the lieutenant's brother." Carl shot a glance over at the shocked look on the PI's face.

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. And I also had a phone call when I was on the way over here from Det. Lucinda Gutierrez of Internal Affairs – they've been secretly investigating him and she wants my help. I'll call her and fill her in on what's happened when we get there. But I warn you - she's probably going to want to talk to you."

"Whatever it takes, Carl." Matt couldn't worry too much about Montoya right then. He was remembering how it had been when his dad Bill Houston had suffered his last heart attack. Bill died a few days later after surgery. CJ reached up from the back seat and squeezed her husband's shoulder and he took her hand in his right one. "I can't lose him, CJ. I just can't."

"I know, hon." She was near tears herself but knew that right now, more than ever, Roy needed both of them to be strong for him. "We've got to stay positive, Matt. Don't let a bit of fear show through – no matter what." She squeezed his hand again.

"I know, Babe."


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

Roy was rushed into the emergency department at the nearest hospital. Matt and CJ volunteered to help Will fill out the paperwork and had it completed in just a few minutes. A short time later, one of Roy's doctor's came to talk to them. After taking them into a consultation room, Dr. Flores explained that Roy had indeed had a heart attack. "Can you tell me what he's been doing lately? Has he been under a lot of stress?"

Matt's head dropped and CJ rubbed his back as Will began explaining the jobs that they had been working on. "Well, I can see how that could be somewhat stressful, but was he having any other problems?"

"He was upset about a problem with one of the suppliers a few weeks ago, but we got it straightened out without too much trouble." Matt felt a tightness in his throat and CJ leaned over and hugged him.

"And he was upset because I was arrested on a bogus murder charge." Will lowered his head and shook it.

Looking somewhat shocked, the doctor looked back down at her clipboard. "Okay, I see from the paperwork that you filled out that his brother has heart problems?" Dr. Flores looked at Will who nodded and pointed at Matt.

"His dad."

"Could you tell me about your father, Mr. Houston?"

Matt nodded. "He uh, he passed away about four years ago." There was a catch in his voice and he put his head in his hands.

CJ hugged him and explained the circumstances of Bill Houston's death. The doctor nodded. "Alright. Well, I believe Roy's problems are stress related. He is in great shape for a man his age – actually better shape than a lot of younger men." She reached across and took both Matt and Will by the hand. "He's going to be okay. He just needs some medication and a good rest, alright?" Both men thanked her and after being told they could have a short visit with him as soon as he was placed in a room, she left and they headed back out to the waiting room where Vince was sitting.

"How's he doing?" The former cop had driven the van over to the hospital so that they would all have a way back to the hotel.

"He's gonna be okay." Matt plopped down in a chair in the waiting room and heaved a sigh of relief as Will explained what they had been told.

After exhaling a very deep breath, Matt got up and headed for the coffee machine that was situated at the back of the waiting room. "Anybody else want a cup?" After everyone agreed, he began feeding change into the machine and handing the cups around to the others who went back across the room and sat down. Just as he reached down for his own cup he was knocked off of his feet by none other than Lt. Carlos Montoya. As his head hit the floor, Matt was momentarily stunned and when he opened his eyes, he saw the detective standing over him pointing a gun at his head and another at the other people in the lobby.

"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER, YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Montoya was screaming at the top of his lungs.

"Calm down and let's talk about this, okay?" Matt was trying to stay calm but the look in the dirty cop's eyes was that of a madman.

"Talk? Do you really think I came here to talk? No, I came here to kill you." He kept shifting his gaze from Matt to the others in the lobby. "You!" He pointed at Vince. "You're the one who was with him this morning. Step forward." Vince tried to say something but was drowned out by the cop. "DO IT NOW OR I SWEAR EVERYBODY IN THIS FREAKIN' PLACE DIES! DO IT!" The former cop took three steps forward. "Now get on your knees." Vince did it. "And you – you're the whole cause of this rotten deal." He pointed the gun at Will and CJ saw Matt tensing up. "Get down on your knees next to your friend." Will stepped up beside Vince and knelt down. "And you – come here." He motioned to CJ who took a couple of steps forward. "I SAID COME HERE!" Slowly she made her way over to the crazed man who grabbed her around the neck with his left arm. He pointed the gun in his right hand at her head.

"Get on your feet, Houston. I want you to have a good view when I blow your lady's head off." He grinned a maniacal smile. Matt carefully got to his feet while everyone in the waiting room watched the drama unfold before them. Houston was wondering where in the hell Carl Horton had gotten off to: he hadn't seen him since they came out from talking to the doctor.

"Nobody's gonna help you now, big shot." Montoya's sick grin made Matt's stomach churn.

"Let her go, Montoya. I'm the one who killed your brother – not her." He needed some kind of a distraction but had no ideas on what that might be; he was afraid for Vince or Will to try something. With Montoya holding two pistols it was an extremely dangerous situation.

"No, I want you to see her die – just like I saw my brother. I was sitting across the street when he fell. I saw him land on the sidewalk." He gave Matt a look of hatred.

Just then a nurse came out into the waiting room from the back and screamed when she saw what was going on, and that was just the distraction that Matt needed. The dirty cop's head jerked in the direction of the scream as did his left arm and CJ dove for cover behind a vending machine as Matt launched himself at Montoya. The gun in his left hand went flying and as he tried to bring the one in his right hand up to the private eye's head, Matt punched him in the jaw with his right hand. He made a dive for the pistol that Montoya had dropped but didn't quite reach it before the detective fired at him, missing him by less than two inches. Matt launched himself at the man again and managed to get behind him. When Montoya brought the gun up once again, the private eye gave what could best be described as a low growl, grabbed the detective's head level with his ears, giving it a twist as he himself dropped to the floor. There was a loud CRACK and Montoya's body went slack. Houston shoved him to the side and jumped back up to his feet before kicking the gun away from the man. When he looked up, the entire population of the waiting room, including Carl Horton and two patrolmen who had just re-entered the building, were standing in slack-jawed astonishment.

Dr. Flores had run out into the waiting room immediately after hearing the nurse scream and after Matt was finished with Montoya, she made her way over to where he lay on the floor. She checked for a pulse and then stood up, looking in amazement at Houston. Carl and the other officers walked over as CJ came out from behind the machine and rushed into her husband's arms. The doctor looked at Horton and simply said, "He's dead."

Everyone in the waiting room was completely silent. Horton looked at the doctor and then at Matt who was holding CJ tightly and had his head tucked over on top of hers, his eyes closed. "Oh, uh, well…" He looked back down at Montoya and back at Matt once more, then pulled his phone from his pocket and called Det. Gutierrez and told her what had happened. He stepped over to Matt. "Are you okay?"

The private eye nodded. CJ looked up into his eyes and saw a look there that she hadn't seen in a long time, not since he had come back from the Army. It was a combination of fear and hate, with a bit of wildness. She held him close once more and laid her head on his chest, slowly rubbing his back in small circles and listened to his heart pounding.

After giving a statement to the police and being checked out by Dr. Flores who diagnosed him with a mild concussion and gave him a cortisone shot and some medication for the allergic reaction to the mold he had encountered, Matt finally got to go up to see Uncle Roy. He, CJ, and Vince quietly slipped into the room where the man was resting, Will seated by his side.

When he heard the door close, he opened his eyes. "Took you long enough. Did you two have a hot date?" He gave the couple a grin, but noticed something in Matt's expression that worried him. "Are you okay, boy?"

"Who me? I'm not the one that had a heart attack. You know you could have just taken off to go see Rosa without all the drama, Uncle Roy." He smiled at the man and held his hand.

"What did you do, Matt?" Roy looked his nephew in the eye.

"I…nothing." Matt looked down and to the left.

"Don't lie to me, Matt. I know when you're lying." Roy raised the bed up slightly. "I heard a big ruckus out in the waiting room while I was being poked and prodded downstairs. Nobody would tell me what was going on. You were there and I know it had something to do with you. Now what happened?"

Very quietly, Matt spoke. "Love you, Uncle Roy." He leaned over and kissed his uncle on the forehead and turned and walked out the door. CJ stood staring down at Roy's hand that she was now holding.

"If one of you doesn't tell me what happened I'm going to get out of this bed and chase him down." CJ and Will exchanged a look.

"Go ahead; he won't rest until he knows." Will stood next to his dad's side.

She patted on the older Houston's hand. "He killed Montoya."

"Yeah I know, I had a heart attack CJ – not amnesia." Roy looked a little grumpy.

"He killed Lt. Montoya in the waiting room." She looked up into Roy's face.

"Good, he deserved it." Roy lay his head back down on the pillow and closed his eyes for a minute. "What's got him so upset?" He reopened them and looked between the two.

"He did it with his bare hands – snapped Montoya's neck." She squeezed his hand. "I don't think anything like that has happened since he came back from the Army…he, uh, he's really upset about it. I think it brought back some bad memories that he thought he had buried."

Roy nodded. "He'll be okay, CJ. Just needs a little time. I'm okay here. Why don't you two go take care of him?"

She gave him a small smile and leaned over kissing him on the cheek. "You behave yourself. Love you."

"Love you, too. Now get a move on. And that means you, too, mister. And brush up on you chess game while I'm in here." He grinned at Vince who gave him a hug.

"I will. You rest up so I can beat your butt next time we play." He turned and started for the door behind CJ.

"That'll be the day." Roy chuckled. Just as Vince opened the door for CJ, he spoke again. "CJ…" She turned to face the older man. "Tell him I love him, too." She nodded and the two left to find Matt.

After spending nearly an hour searching for him, they found him sitting on the beach, leaning back against a palm tree with a beer in his hand. Vince sat down on the right side of his friend and pulled a beer out of the cardboard carton sitting next to Matt. "Thanks. I'm kinda thirsty, Ace." He twisted off the cap and took a long swig, then reached for another and cracked it open, handing it to CJ. "Sorry lady – no glasses."

"Nah, I don't need one – I'm from Texas, remember?" She took a long sip and looked out over the waves as she leaned back against her husband who put his left arm around her. Looking over at the man who was not only her husband, but had been her best friend for almost twenty five years she kissed his cheek. "You okay?" Matt nodded but didn't speak; instead, he downed the rest of the beer and put the empty bottle back into the carton before pulling out another and cracking it open. As he took a sip, he looked back out over the waves.

"Roy got a little grumpy after you left. Then he had the audacity to tell me to brush up on my chess game. Can you believe that?" Vince looked over at Matt.

"Yep." He took another long swig of the beer and then closed and rubbed his eyes.

"Hon, are you sure you're okay?" CJ turned to look at him.

"Yeah, just got a hell of a headache." He looked down at the bottle sitting between his thighs and began turning it, looking at the depressions that it left in the sand.

"We told him what happened. He threatened to get out of the bed and chase you down if we didn't." CJ laid her head over on Matt's chest. He nodded. "And he wanted me to tell you he loves you, too." Matt nodded once again, took another swig out of the beer and watched the waves crash onto the shore.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

Three days later, after helping Vince and Will complete the installation of the system in Ft. Lauderdale, Matt had to attend a hearing where the judge ruled that the deaths of both Manny and Carlos Montoya were self-defense. It turned out that Carlos Montoya had in fact been using information that he got from his friend Lt. Atkins to help out the drug smuggling operations of the Ericsons. Manny Montoya was a mid-level dealer for the Ericsons and had a side business with Kim Burch stealing money, credit cards, and social security numbers from many of her johns.

As he left the courtroom with Vince, Will, and CJ, Matt's phone rang. "Hi Sheila, what's going on? Hang on a minute; she's right here with me." He put the phone on speaker. "Okay, we're both here."

"I wanted to let you know that Miss Catey Rose said her first word today." The excitement showed in the nurse's voice.

"She did? What did she say?" CJ and Matt were both smiling and looked at each other.

"Well, I was playing a DVD of the two of you riding Cricket, and it was just the sweetest thing."

"So she said "daddy", is that it?" CJ wasn't surprised at all. Catey Rose was absolutely smitten by her dad.

"No."

"She said "mama"?" Matt was grinning.

"No."

"Well what did she say?" The proud parents were confused.

"Cricket." The nurse burst into laughter as did the four adults on the other end, Matt so much he was almost in tears.

"Well hell, I guess I know where I stand!" He dissolved into laughter again.


End file.
